Sang Real and Star Girl
by Storyteller09
Summary: Set after The Last Man. What if there were a specific reason for John's extra strong ATA gene. First published fanfic attempt. Includes multiple crossovers.
1. Sang Real

**Stargate Atlantis: The Sang Real**

In ancient human legends, there has been mention of a powerful cup, blessed and pure. The Sangreal, or the Holy Grail, is a myth searched for by hundreds. But, just suppose, that the "Holy Grail" as it was called by King Arthur and his knights of the round table, was not a cup or a grail, but a human. You see, sangreal means holy grail in French but sang real means royal blood. In other words, a child born of royalty. Or rather, two royal ascended beings. Such a child was forbidden by the highest laws of both the Ancients and the Ori. Yet love can not be prevented. Lamara and Kibetan were leaders among the Ancients and as ascended beings retained their love for one another. Lamara found that somehow, against all laws of physics and the ascended, she was pregnant. Dismayed at the thought of the punishment she and the baby would receive, she went to Kibetan, lord of the Ancients. He knew that, should anyone discover the child, the Ori would demand that it be killed to prevent one side or the other from accessing its immense power. Devastated, Lamara pleaded with Kibetan to spare the child's life, to find another way. Against Kibetan's better judgment, he hid her from the others until the babe was born. It was a boy. With such power radiating from him, the couple knew it was only a matter of time before the Ori discovered the new power came from him. Lamara did not want to kill her only son, and Kibetan was deeply in love with his queen. The very fact that he was too young to wield his power gave Kibetan the inspiration he needed. They decided to put the boy's power into a vessel, rather, a sword, Excalibur. Kibetan feared that someone among the Ancients would figure out that the old sword of Excalibur held new and extraordinary power and placed Excalibur in stone. Only the sang real could pull it from its stone sheath. The boy was left as a simple human. Knowing that the Ori would never allow him to live, Lamara and Kibetan looked everywhere for someone to raise their infant son. They decided on Earth. They picked a small, uninteresting family that they believed would raise him well. Without access to the sword he would be prevented from accessing his power or it emerging and their secret was safe.

However, the sang real was not destined to live a short, boring life. He was drawn to battle and excelled while showing true strength of character and courage. Lamara and Kibetan always kept a vigil over their lost son and never gave up hope for his return. He grew into a fine young man, but became a part of a human program called the Stargate program. It used the very gates that the Ancients themselves had built to travel amongst the stars. It seemed that though his power was locked away in Excalibur, the son of Lamara and Kibetan still possessed a gene combination that was extremely close to that of the original Ancients. Thus he could access most of their technology with an ease that other humans were incapable of. Because of this ability, he was ironically asked to accompany an expedition to Atlantis, the forgotten city of the Ancients long buried underwater. He accepted. He had many close calls with death and his parents began to fear he would not live to fulfill his destiny. Luckily, however, the Earth's Stargate program managed to destroy the Ori forever. Kibetan and Lamara decided to present the Ancient Council with the news of their secret child. Outraged and mistrustful, they demanded that Lamara immediately destroy Excalibur. Kibetan forbade it. Now that the Ori were dead, he claimed, the boy would be a powerful weapon against evil. It would finally be safe to introduce him to his legacy at long last. He begged them to consider the possibility. It took two human years before the Council decided. Lamara and Kibetan were permitted to contact their son and present him with Excalibur. Lamara was overjoyed, but Kibetan warned her that their son would not take lightly to being told of the origin of his birth. They decided to wait until an opportune moment to show him the truth.

* * *

"Why did you have to touch that stupid Wraith computer, Rodney?" I managed to say through the dust of the building's collapse above us. "What is it with you and touching stuff?"

"I didn't know it was booby-trapped, Sheppard." Rodney McKay said after a minute of coughing. He was supposed to be a computer genius with Ancient technology, but he had just triggered an explosion that had brought a building on top of us. Amazingly, the room we were in was still mainly intact.

"Obviously." I answered sarcastically. He was part of my team. "Why is it that every time something good happens, we get struck by some other disaster?"

"John?" Ronan Dex started to wake up. He had been knocked unconscious by a falling beam. I had managed to move the beam off of him, but he wasn't looking good.

"Hey, Ronan. You okay?" I knelt to check him out. Rodney started looking around our room for options. "I think you broke some ribs and you probably have a concussion. I hope you don't have internal bleeding."

"Col. Sheppard, you better look at this." McKay called out from the doorway.

"What is it?" I asked as I walked over. Then I stopped abruptly. The doorway should have shown a dusty hallway or at least wreckage from the collapse such as ceiling beams or such. Instead, our room was connected to a brightly lit hallway that looked very familiar. "No way. This is not real."

"Do you know where it is?" McKay asked. I stared at the scene before us and nodded.

"It's the hallway of the house where I grew up." I said in disbelief. McKay looked over at me, startled.

"You've got to be kidding." McKay said. I shrugged. "Who would be watching you closely enough to know that?"

"I have no idea." I muttered as I peered around the door. "No one seems to be here. If this is an accurate replication of my old house, there should be a first aid kit in the kitchen. Help me lift Ronan and get him downstairs."

"Oh, man, you know I'm not very good at lifting stuff. He's heavy." McKay complained as usual.

"Stop whining, McKay, and pick up his other arm." I ordered. He grabbed Ronan's left arm while I took his right and we headed through the door. We managed to make it down the stairs with Ronan. "Let's set him on the couch in the living room."

"Is it just me or is this place really creepy?" McKay asked as we lowered Ronan down. I shrugged.

"Come on. I think the kit's in the kitchen." I led the way into the very familiar kitchen of my youth. "All right, it should be in this cabinet."

"Um, Sheppard, you better look at this." McKay said again.

"What now?" I asked as I searched the cabinets. Whoever had replicated my house hadn't gone as far as the insides of them. "There's nothing here."

"Look!" McKay called urgently. I walked up to the window. In the backyard stood a boulder with a sword stuck in it. The sword's pommel was golden and set with brilliant sparkling stones. "Did you have a sword in a stone in your backyard?"

"No. Wait here. I'll check it out." I went out the backdoor and up the path to the stone. As I got closer to the sword, I could see that the hilt's stones were a wild variety of colors. There had to be at least one of every color. Unthinking, I reached up to touch it. Before I could reach it, a man appeared out of nowhere.

"How did you get here? They said they would wait!" He looked shocked and very mad. I backed up, confused.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked guardedly.

"So you don't know. In any case, I'm not telling you any names. That would just let them know where you are." He continued to talk, but I was distracted by McKay's startled face at the backdoor. After that last sentence he disappeared into the house. I could only hope he knew a way out of this. The guy's sudden appearance made me think that he couldn't be hurt by my P-90. "I told them that you were not to come here, but obviously they didn't listen. I think I'll kill you and end this silly debate."

"What?! What did I do?" I asked, startled. I backed up even more. He advanced and raised his hand. A sword much plainer than the one in the stone appeared. I gulped and tried to look for a way out.

"Fool, it's not what you've done, it's who you are." He raised his sword menacingly.

"Wait!" McKay cried out. Both the man and I looked at him in surprise. He held a letter in his hand. "Lamara! Kibetan!"

"No!" The man cried out. He started to finish his swing but before he could move, there were two brilliant flashes of light.

"How dare you come here uninvited! What do you think you are doing, Parath? Are you planning to kill him?" The woman's eyes flashed in anger. The man's face looked equally as outraged.

"Parath, as lord of the Ancients I am well within my rights to banish you to a human existence right now. You knew the Council's decision. Now it is your decision, life in human exile or banishment to the outer edges of our dimension and a watcher to make sure you don't try to pull a stunt like this again. Choose." The man was an Ancient lord! What was going on, I wondered.

"You know what I choose." Parath glared at me, then reluctantly withdrew his sword and sheathed it. I sighed in relief. The lord briefly raised a hand and Parath disappeared.

"Now, about you. We weren't expecting you here. How did you get here?" The lord turned toward me. I suddenly felt very worried.

"Sir, I didn't mean to intrude, but my team and I were in a building collapse. When we opened a door, all we could see was the upstairs hallway here." I tried to explain. I suddenly remembered Ronan. "Oh! A friend of mine is pretty badly hurt. We put him in the living room."

"Oh, my!" The woman immediately raised her hand and we appeared in the living room. Rodney, who had been silently observing the pair, yelled.

"Ahh. What the ..,?" Rodney looked freaked. The woman ignored him and knelt by Ronan's side. She raised her hands and a soft blue glow shone over his chest. After a minute of this, Ronan began to stir.

"What's going on? Who are you?" Ronan asked groggily. The lady stood.

"I healed you. My name is Lamara and this is my husband Kibetan, lord of the ancients." Lamara answered. Ronan sat up, not quite impressed.

"Ancients have marriages? That's kind of weird. Of course, I didn't know the got mail either." Rodney said. So that's how he knew the Ancients' names.

"Rodney, I wouldn't insult the nice couple who are powerful enough to erase us from time." I muttered. He looked ashamed at least. Kibetan laughed.

"Why would we do that?" He asked.

"Exactly. You never do anything. You could completely destroy the Wraith and save us humans, but you don't. You watch and don't do anything." Ronan accused. "You could have saved Sateda."

"I know you were Satedan. I am truly sorry. I may be the lord of the Ancients, but I must answer to the Council. They are very stubborn. Besides, Lamara and I were being very careful to not raise suspicion. We had inadvertently created a situation that, if discovered would lead to severe punishment, maybe even being forced to descend from this plane." Kibetan apologized.

"If you don't mind my asking, what did you do?" I asked as we all sat down.

"It's okay. Certain circumstances have allowed us to reveal our secret to the Council and they have approved, grudgingly. You see, Lamara and I had a son while we were ascended. It may seem like a joyous occasion, but such a child is forbidden. The Ori would have demanded that we kill the child before he could grow into his immense power." Kibetan began to explain. He told us the story of his son and the boy's power. When they began to tell us about the sword in the stone, I got a really weird feeling.

"What did you name your son?" McKay asked after he finished. Lamara looked at us with a smile and answered for her husband.

"We knew that we couldn't keep our son, so we sent him to live with a human family on Earth. They named him." Lamara looked at me while she said this. My mind reeled as realization dawned. I suddenly connected what Parath had said and the fact that this house looked like mine. "His name is …"

"John Sheppard." I finished quietly. Ronan and McKay looked at me in shock. Kibetan nodded. I took a second look at the two Ancients, noticing slight similarities. Kibetan's hair, though brown was a dead ringer for my somewhat crazy style, while Lamara's hair had the same deep black coloring. Her eyes were green and his eyes a deep brown that, if combined, could produce my shade of hazel. Lamara's eyes even had a similar shape, and I resembled Kibetan in my lean yet muscular form. The resemblance was too much to be coincidence.

"Whoa! What? How?" McKay sputtered. Ronan just looked puzzled.

"My parents told me when I was seven that I was adopted. I had figured it out through the fact that they were both light-haired and my hair is black. They said they never knew who my birth-parents were. I thought they were joking when they said I was a gift from the gods." I told them in shock. Lamara nodded.

"We couldn't contact you for fear that the Ori would find out who you were. We were always watching over you, though." She responded. I got up.

"I have to think." I walked out of the room and out into the backyard. 'How am I supposed to deal with this? I just got through a trip to 48,000 years into the future and stayed 700 years in a stasis pod waiting to get back so I could save Teyla. Now that building is wrecked and we have no idea where she is. And at the same time, I find out my birth-parents are a couple of ascended beings.' I mused. I continued out loud. "For all I know, they'll want me to stay here and watch the Pegasus galaxy get destroyed by Michael."

"Actually, we only wanted you to know." Lamara spoke up from behind me, making me jump. She smiled hopefully. "You are allowed to choose. And I doubt that anyone, even the entire Ancient Council, could make you stay here once you draw that sword. You are also human enough to not be messed with by the others unprovoked. They have already agreed to allow you to draw the sword. Since the power would destroy a normal human, you will have to carry the sword and allow the power to slowly return to you. But you would be able to find your friend by using the sword."

"Really?" This was starting to look better. I could save Teyla with this sword. My mind latched onto the idea. No matter what cost, if it helped me save my friends, I was willing to at least try. I'd always had a bad time with leaving people behind enemy lines. "If it helps me save Teyla and defeat Michael I'll be forever grateful. I will try to pull the sword out."

"I will go get Kibetan." She smiled. I nodded and she disappeared. I went back to examining the sword. It had a sapphire and a ruby on the guard ends. They were major gems, but the pommel bore a larger purple-colored gem. The rest of the hilt was decorated with emeralds, pearls, diamonds, and any other colored gems you could think of. The sword itself looked quite impressive. From what I could see of the blade, it was razor sharp and made of a extremely shiny metal. I turned around as Lamara, Kibetan, and my team walked up.

"So you're going to do it, huh?" Ronan asked.

"If it helps get Teyla back, I'll do it." I answered. McKay nodded. I turned back to the sword.

"It is your legacy." Kibetan told me. "The sapphire and ruby on the guard are representative of Lamara and I, respectively. The purple diamond signifies the combination of our powers to become yours."

"Yeah." Slowly, I reached up to touch the sword. I felt as if the eyes of the universe were on me as I gripped the handle. The hilt fit my hand perfectly and the blade came up easily as I pulled. My hair stood on end as I felt the power flow through me.

"All hail the sang real, son of the Ancients, lord of lords!" I heard a chorus of voices shout as the blade left the stone. Then the yard went silent.

"Wow, that was cool." McKay said, eyes wide. I reached up and smoothed my erratic hair down. I could feel the sword's power fizzing up my arm. I lifted Excalibur and looked at the blade.

"What metal is this?" I asked. Kibetan touched the sword.

"It's dragon-forged steel. It is much stronger than normal steel and will never break or chip." He answered. "With your power in it, it can probably cut through diamonds."

"What do you mean by dragons?" McKay looked intrigued.

"For thousands of your years, there have been dragons walking the earth in mortal bodies. Their souls are reincarnated when they are killed, which is seldom. They also do not age." Kibetan responded patiently. He then pulled out a sheath covered in intricate designs and laced with gold and silver. "Here is Excalibur's sheath."

"Cool. Now how do I use Excalibur to rescue Teyla?" I was impatient to get to her. She had been in enemy hands too long already. I tucked the sword in to its sheath and buckled onto my belt.

"Excalibur is simply a vessel of your own innate power as our son. Just concentrate and will it to happen. If you need to, in the beginning, you can use the sword as a normal sword to help you control the power coming out of it. There are some abilities that require teaching, but for now you can handle the basics. We will look in on possibilities." Lamara explained. "As a warning, though, you might not want to teleport your friends anywhere for the first month. Your power is unsteady as it is because of your separation, and to send other people any distance might be messy. You might not want to risk losing McKay's head or Ronan's leg."

"Right, got it. No teleporting." I said, slightly sarcastic. This had been an unbelievable day.

"How can we get there?" McKay asked curiously.

"The same way you got here. The portal upstairs was originally made to lead wherever John was at the time. If you will it, John, it can take you wherever you need to go. It is also the easiest way for you to get back here in a hurry. Just say where you need to go, in your case, Michael's ship carrying Teyla, and it will get you at least on the ship. It works better if you have a specific room or if you have been there before, but it will get you in the general area." Lamara pointed upstairs as she talked.

"Thank you for your help." I shook my "father's" hand and put my hand on Lamara's shoulder. She smiled a very sweet, sad smile, then hugged me.

"It is the least we could do. We have a lot to catch up on. Come back whenever you need." Kibetan offered. I nodded and my team and I walked back into the house and up the stairs. We found ourselves facing the same building collapse through the door to "my room." I reached out and closed the door.

"Alright, we need the Wraith hybrid Michael's hive ship where he is holding Teyla." I grabbed the doorknob and concentrated. Then I opened the door. It now showed a room filled with the usual Wraith décor. "Success!"

"This is one cool door or portal or whatever." McKay was touching the door in curiosity. I walked in.

"Come on. Teyla may need us." I motioned him in. He and Ronan stepped through and the doorway shut, revealing a Wraith webbing door. The room we had walked into was a Wraith holding cell.

"Great door. It put us right into a cell." Ronan said angrily.

"Well, Lamara did say that the door wasn't exact. It did get us on a Wraith ship. And I do have a supposedly super-sharp sword." I unsheathed Excalibur. It was unusually feather light and I was able to lift it in one hand. I gave it an experimental twirl to get the feel of having a sword, then raised it and made a swift diagonal cut across the door and down. McKay walked up to the door and pushed the webbing back. Ronan climbed out. I stayed behind. "Look, as soon as you run into the hybrids they'll sound the alarm. I'm going to use this sword to try and locate Teyla and get to her so Michael can't do anything before you get there."

"You sure you can control that thing?" McKay asked. I shrugged and he nodded. He followed Ronan. "Find her, Colonel."

"Got it." I said as they went down the corridor. After they were around the corner, I raised the sword. On a flash on insight, I turned the sword around and put the point an inch into the floor to give me a connection to the ship. I slowly forced the fizzing power down through the sword and spread it throughout the ship, searching for any sign of Teyla. It took a couple of minutes, but I managed to locate her in a sickening form of a laboratory. Angry, I thought very quickly. Surely when Lamara had said no teleporting friends she didn't mean me alone. I pulled all but a little thread of my power back and concentrated on getting to her location. I felt a sharp tug and I closed my eyes as a light flashed around me. When I opened my eyes I was in the room.

"Colonel Sheppard? John?" Teyla asked groggily. She didn't look so good. I pulled the sword up and sheathed it. As an afterthought, I pulled a little power out and willed the sword to change shape. I now had a gleaming golden pen on my belt. I hurried over to the table where she lay and undid her bindings. I reached down and lifted her, groaning under her added weight.

"Put her down." A cold voice ordered me. I turned to Michael.

"Why would I do that?" I asked. I did shift her so that I could reach my "pen." "You wouldn't want to hit Teyla and hurt her baby would you?"

"Fool. That babe will change the galaxy." Michael fumed. "And I believe that my people are fast enough to catch her after we shoot you."

"Right. Even you aren't fast enough." I said. As a precaution, I did set her down. I immediately felt an impact on my shoulder. The Wraith stunner stung a little, but didn't knock me unconscious. "Your weapons no longer work on me. You see, I'm something new. And I'm here to take Teyla back."

"How?" Michael asked arrogantly. I uncapped my "pen" and pointed it at him. "With your pen?"

"Well, it's not exactly a pen." I willed Excalibur back into its original shape. "It's a sword."

"A sword? How is that possible?" Michael looked very confused. I shrugged.

"Good pedigree?" I joked. I shifted my power into what I hoped was a stunner and sent a pulse of it into the sword. Quickly I swung Excalibur in a half-circle and released the pulse. Instantly the hybrid Athosians collapsed. I brought my sword back around to Michael. He glared at me.

"If I can't have that child, no one will." Before I could react he used a stolen pistol to shoot Teyla in the leg. "Now if I remember correctly, I just shot her in a major artery. That means she'll die unless you stop the bleeding soon. So the choice is yours, fight me and she dies or save your friend. Choose."

"Oh this is just great!" Of course I went over to Teyla. I laid my sword down and put pressure on her wound. Michael escaped. While I was fumbling with a bandage the others arrived.

"Oh God, Sheppard, she's bleeding! What happened?" McKay asked.

""Michael happened." I said bluntly.

" Can't you use the sword?" Ronan asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know how to heal with a sword. I might cut her more or burn her up if I try." I answered worriedly.

"Try calling Lamara and Kibetan. They did say they were always watching over you." McKay suggested. I thought quickly.

"Alright. Lamara! Kibetan! I need your help, please." I called out, feeling a little foolish. A second went by and then there were two flashes of light, one of blue and one of red.

"What's wrong? Oh my!" Lamara exclaimed as she saw Teyla's wound.

"Can I heal her? I mean can you show me how?" I asked quickly. She looked thoughtful.

"Regular healing takes knowledge of the human body. Intricate knowledge. I don't think we have time to teach you advanced anatomy, so…" Lamara said.

"Wait. There may be a way." Kibetan said suddenly. "Look, your blood has natural healing properties. As long as you concentrate, your blood can fix most of your injuries. For someone else, you need to want to heal them. Your blood may not work on everything with other people, but she has merely been shot. If you put about a drop or two in her system, it should fix her up without harming her."

"My blood can do that?" I was shocked. He nodded confidently. I picked Excalibur up and quickly cut my thumb on it. Before my "accelerated healing" blood could patch the wound, I dripped two drops. As second or two after I pressed the sides of my thumb together and concentrated, they seemed to fuse and I stopped bleeding. After I made sure I wasn't still dripping, I looked at Teyla's leg. It was slightly moving. Suddenly, the leg healed. "Wow, I guess it can."

"The Wraith hybrid has tampered with the child's DNA. He has made it more Wraith than human. If it is not corrected, the child could be controlled or corrupted by another Wraith." Lamara was looking at Teyla's pregnant stomach. I started as I realized that she was looking right into her DNA. "If you help me, I can change it back."

"Why do you need me?" I asked, startled.

"I have the skill and knowledge to correct one or one hundred DNA strands, but to do the entire baby would take a lot of power and time. You, on the other hand, have the power of ten thousand supernovas all wrapped up in your sword. I will do one strand and then you can spread the change throughout the child." Lamara explained.

"If you think I can." I said doubtfully.

"Ten thousand supernovas?!" McKay's eyes were bugging out. "That's about a million ZPMs!"

"That's a lot." Ronan responded dryly.

"Are you kidding? That's unbelievable." McKay was freaking out. I was impressed too.

"I will show you how." Lamara put one hand on Teyla's stomach and offered the other to me. I took her hand and we were instantly inside of Teyla's baby. All around us were gigantic cells Lamara stepped forward and we went inside a cell. Once we were inside, Lamara located the nucleus and began to repair the DNA. I watched in fascination. I could tell the difference between Wraith DNA and human DNA by the greenish color of the Wraith DNA. Once Lamara was done she turned to me. "Alright, now you need to spread the change. Just let your power guide you."

"There's still a lot of Wraith DNA." I pointed out. Lamara nodded.

"I know, but that is his normal DNA. Because or the combination of Teyla, who has Wraith DNA, and Kieran, who is called by the Athosians Wraith-sensitive, the child has a large amount of Wraith DNA. We could change it, but then the child would no longer be theirs. I don't think we should do that without Teyla's permission." She explained.

"Oh. Okay, we'll leave it like that." I agreed. Grabbing Excalibur, I swung the sword in an X-pattern. When the speed felt right I sent my power fizzing out and let it hit the DNA strand. When I was pretty sure it understood what I wanted, I sent more power and pushed it out into the rest of the baby, forcing the other strands to change. "Did I do it right?"

"Let me see." Lamara looked around. We backed up until we could see the entire baby. "Good, you got it all. Very nice."

"Thanks." I smiled in relief. We backed up another step and we were outside Teyla again. She was stirring sleepily.

"Is she clean?" Kibetan asked.

"Yes. About the Athosians… I think we can handle them. Their DNA is already completely grown so they should be easier." Lamara motioned at the stunned hybrids. Kibetan agreed and they brought their hands together and they were surrounded by a swirling blue and red light. The light expanded and they disappeared. All that remained was a faint call from Lamara. "We'll leave the explaining to you."

"Thanks." I said quietly. Before I had to answer any questions, I turned Excalibur back into a pen and put the "cap" on. I looked over the hybrids and noticed a slow melting of their Wraith features. Their bodies were returning to normal.

"John, what has happened?" Teyla was awake. She sat up and looked around. "My people! They are normal Athosians again. What happened?"

"It's a really long story that I'm going to have to tell you later. Ronan, where's Michael?" I asked. He looked very angry.

"That parasite escaped. I think he grabbed a dart out of here. Couldn't you stun him too?" Ronan glared daggers.

"I thought he would be useful in turning the hybrids back. I didn't know we didn't need him." I tried to explain. One by one the Athosians woke up. Kieran ran to Teyla's side and began to furiously ask questions. I interrupted him and informed them all that we had managed to turn them back to human and that we needed to get back to Atlantis. Teyla immediately volunteered to use her Wraith connection to take the ship back. She could interface with Wraith technology using her mind much like I could with Ancient tech. It turns out we were in the neighborhood and it only took a few hours to get home.

"John, we're entering our solar system now. I am broadcasting a call on all human frequencies so the Dedalus won't shoot at us." Teyla told me. I grinned in anticipation.

"Carter's going to freak when we come back from the dead with a Wraith hive ship. Plus, there are other facts that she needs to be aware of." I was going to enjoy the shock on her face. Carter was the leader of our expedition and my boss/counterpart. I was the military commander and she was the "leader" leader.

"You're going to tell her everything? What about me?" Teyla asked.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you both. Can you set us down on the mainland?" I reassured her easily. I didn't even know if she would believe me.

"Yes, Col. I think I can manage it. By the way, Col. Carter is demanding to know why a Wraith hive ship is here. Would you like to speak with her?" Teyla sounded amused as well.

"Oh sure, why not?" I answered leisurely. Instantly, Col. Samantha Carter's face filled the view screen.

"Col. Sheppard, what are you doing? Care to explain the Wraith hive ship? You're lucky we didn't blow you up while you were en route. You nearly gave us a heart attack, waltzing up in the enemy's ship. For all we knew, you were Michael himself coming to destroy us." Carter was livid and happy at the same time. I inwardly laughed.

"We're fine, Col. We also saved Teyla and the Athosians. Michael did get away, but there's a lot to tell you. Permission to land? And can you send a Puddlejumper or two?" I tried to calm her down. A Puddlejumper is the name I coined the Atlantis space ships. She threw up her hands.

"You better explain everything. Go ahead and land, the jumpers are on the way." She raised her eyebrows. "And Sheppard, it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." She smiled and the screen shut off.

"Col., we're landing. There are three jumpers inbound." Teyla informed us a few minutes later.

"All right. Once we've landed, shut her down and get your people to the jumpers." I ordered. She nodded. I felt a slight bump as we set down. Teyla released the controls. Kieran was instantly at her side. He did seem apologetic. It wasn't his fault he was susceptible to Michael's mind control. Kieran escorted Teyla out of the ship. We all climbed aboard one of the jumpers for the short trip to Atlantis. As expected, Carter was waiting.

"Now tell me what is going on. The rest of the "rescue" team got back an hour ago claiming that McKay blew up the building and buried all of you alive." She asked. I waited for her to finish.

"If I may ask, can we go somewhere more private? Teyla, too." I answered her with a question.

"Teyla? I want her checked out by a medical team immediately." Carter demanded.

"Trust me, she and her baby are probably the healthiest people in Atlantis. Now if you want to know what happened, follow me." I walked toward my rooms. Noting McKay's puzzled stare, I smiled. He rolled his eyes and followed. I heard muffled footsteps as Carter caught up with us.

"I'm not going to ask why you've decided you're in charge, but where are we going?" Sam asked. I looked at her mysteriously. As we approached the door to my quarters, I paused to allow Teyla to catch up. As soon as we were all together, I unclipped my "pen" from my belt. Without changing it back to sword form, I summoned a bit of power and called the portal to my quarters' door. I passed the pen across the crystals which were our version of a doorknob. The door slid open, but instead of my quarters, the door opened on the same hallway as before. Carter's eyes got wide.

"What?!" She exclaimed, reaching out to feel the doorway. Teyla stood there looking at the hallway. I motioned them all in.

"Did I ever tell you I'm adopted?" I asked nonchalantly. Carter, to my surprise, nodded.

"No, but I've read your file, especially the extended version." She stated dryly. I should have realized that the leader of the Atlantis expedition would read the files of everyone associated with it. And, as a former member of Earth's SG-1, she had clearance.

"Well, I am. I'm going to introduce you to my birth parents. Trust me you'll want to meet them. McKay just about freaked when he found out." I said smugly. Already I was getting more and more used to ascended parents. There were a lot worse birth parents to have and they seemed decent. At least they hadn't made me stay.

"Well they aren't exactly normal parents." McKay defended himself. "By the way, Col. Carter, that's how we got out of the building collapse. That door just showed up out of nowhere. Cool, huh?"

"It's fascinating. How does it do that?" She asked, intrigued. McKay started to tell her, but I silenced him with a glare. It was my secret to tell. Just then, we reached the living room. I told them to make themselves comfortable on the couch. Then I went to find Lamara and Kibetan. I went out the back door.

"Hello." I looked down at the voice. It was coming from a wolf at my feet. It was almost all white with red and orange streaks and a blonde tinge.

"Hi, who are you? And how do you talk?" I asked. The wolf got up.

"Well, technically all animals speak. Humans just can't understand them. I, however, am not actually a wolf. My name is Solarion; you can call me Sol. You're the sang real, aren't you?" As he looked up at me, I noticed a startling fact. His eyes were gold.

"Yes. How do you know?" I answered truthfully.

"You're here for one thing. And I can see your power. Who are the humans you brought with you?" He said matter-of-factly.

"People I wanted to introduce to my parents." I responded. He nodded, an odd thing to see a wolf doing.

"Well, I'll tell them you're here. I am supposed to hang around you for a while it seems. I'm your guardian until you master that sword of yours." He sighed. "You know, you could contact them yourself, telepathically."

"I didn't know I could do it telepathically, but I figured they might be here." I said apologetically.

"They got called away to a Council meeting. In fact, they're delivering a report on you." He told me. "They'll be here in a sec."

"Thank you." I replied. The wolf dipped his head in a bow. "So you have to follow me around?"

"Yes. Lamara is concerned about the rebel ascended trying to attack you. Also, there may or may not be a group of Ori that escaped Merlin's weapon. So I'm here to defend you." His explanation ended just as Lamara and Kibetan arrived.

"Hello, John, Solarion. What's up?" Kibetan said as he approached. I shook his hand.

"I need to tell the leader of the Atlantis expedition and my

last team member who I am. I thought you could help explain. Plus, I know my boss would love to meet you." I grinned.

"Of course we'll meet your friends. I would be honored to meet Samantha Carter. She and the rest of Earth's SG-1 are well known in the ascended world. They destroyed the Ori threat." Lamara answered. "I have always thought that she must be a very interesting woman. If only the Council would approve human interactions. They were a little put out that we told McKay and Ronan about us and you. We had to remind them that you would tell them anyway. They backed down. Until they find out exactly how strong you are, they won't challenge us."

"Well, okay. Come on, they're in the living room. Want to come, Sol?" I offered.

"Sure." Sol followed us into the living room. When Carter noticed the robes, she stood up.

"John? Are these your birth parents?" She sounded suspicious.

"Yes. Col. Samantha Carter meet Lamara, my mother, and Kibetan, my father and lord of the ascended Ancients. Lamara, Kibetan, this is Col. Carter and Teyla Emmagen, leader of the Athosians. You met before." I introduced them. "You see, Teyla, Lamara is the one who corrected your baby's DNA. Kibetan told me how to fix a gunshot wound in your leg."

"How?" Carter was very confused. Kibetan jumped in with the story of my birth, powers, raising on Earth, and the subsequent drawing of Excalibur. This startled Carter. "What sword is he talking about?"

"This one." I held out my pen. Noting the confusion, I pulled Excalibur and its sheath back into their original forms. Now I had a sheathed sword sitting in my hand.

"Very covert. I like it." Kibetan nodded in approval.

"Wow." Carter definitely seemed shocked. I grinned at her and Teyla.

"Show-off." McKay muttered.

"I agree." Sol chipped in, prompting another round of exclamations and explanations. "I'm a staranian. Staranians are the souls and spirits of stars or suns. In fact, I'm Earth's sun. You call me Sol, but my full name is Solarion. Hi."

"Hi." Col. Carter seemed at a loss for words. She finally shook her head and recovered. "What is your connection to Sheppard?"

"I'm to be his guide. You know, teach what he can do, stuff like that. Kibetan asked the Staranian council to provide a suitable teacher for his son. As Earth's sun I was the natural choice. Staranians have natural abilities that rival the Ancients' in variety though slightly weaker in strength. Of course our abilities are nothing compared to the power possessed by Colonel Sheppard, but I may still provide a basic level of instruction for him. I am also a protector should any remnants of the Ori arise and attempt to destroy him to tip the balance again in their favor." Sol licked his lips and sat. It felt very weird talking to a wolf. Admittedly, we had had several encounters that were strange here in the Pegasus galaxy, but this seemed surreal. The furnishings of the house that so closely resembled those of my childhood home added to the strange picture.

"We didn't get all the Ori?" Sam asked him, concerned. He shrugged.

"The original Ori, yes. Adria, well she's being kept busy by Morgan Le Fay. The Priors, well some are still fighting in the Ori's name. Some have managed to reverse the Ark of Truth's influence. Then it's only a matter of time until one of them manages to ascend and start the cycle over again. The people of the Celeste galaxy and of Avalon are easily swayed by showy examples of power. There could be a repeat of the Ori. And Lamara and I are concerned for John's safety. So Sol has agreed to stay with him. I assume that you will allow him to have, however intelligent, "pets"?" Kibetan answered for Sol. I looked at Sam as she considered her options.

"As long as Sol does not interfere with Atlantis operations or missions in his desire to protect Col. Sheppard. " Carter decided. "We can wait until his next mission to 'find' him. Col. Sheppard, you can claim that a family gave him to you as a present. I'll protest and you can wear me down. You could even claim that he's skilled at hunting Wraith or finding people. You know, as a reason to keep him with you on missions."

"Got it." I agreed with Carter's plan to keep Sol.

"I'm sure I can stay out of everyone's way." Sol assured us.

"All right." Carter gave her permission. "But no talking around people who don't know you can, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sol replied, slightly pert. She glanced at him then smiled.

"Well Sheppard, I have to admit, when you do something, you definitely DO it. Take finding your birth parents. Other people petition the courts to unseal the adoption papers. You accidentally walked through a portal to where you're ascended parents gave you both a sword containing immense power and your very first "pet". No offense, Sol." Carter shook her head.

"None taken." Sol huffed a dog-like laugh.

"Thanks, I think." I said to Carter. Though I had expected her to be slightly more disbelieving, it was only natural that she, as a former member of SG-1 who had been traveling through the Stargates almost from the beginning, be used to unnatural and mysterious occurrences. You had to be flexible to be in this type of job. Anything could happen in the Pegasus galaxy.

"Well, this is great and all, but we probably need to get back to Atlantis soon. Someone's bound to miss us, all of us." McKay interrupted our plotting. Carter stood, dusting her hands. "I don't want Zelenka messing with the power systems. He'll blow something up."

"Right. Kibetan, Lamara, thank you for your hospitality, but we must go. Thank you for allowing Col. Sheppard stay with the Atlantis expedition. I realize how much it means to allow your estranged 'son' to return to his life of danger." Carter bid them good-bye. I fidgeted under the attention she drew to me and waited for the others to make their good-byes.

"Thank you for the latitude you give John." Lamara glanced over at Kibetan and gave him a creepily familiar and pointed look. "I can't imagine where he gets such a reckless and stubborn attitude."

"Really? A reckless Ancient? I'm surprised Doctor Jackson didn't mention you. I think he would of liked you." Carter bit back a chuckle at Lamara's description of my habits.

"Dr. Jackson was a great addition to our society, but, due to our secretive ways, we could not converse with him openly. We did not want to provoke the others into searching our activities. It would have been disastrous. Speaking of memories, I do need to do something for you, Col. Sheppard." Kibetan raised a hand and, receiving my hesitant permission, touched my forehead. Instantly, I was aware of a deep feeling of unlocking within my mind. Several memories were suddenly accessible again. In one, I was five years old and, having been quite rambunctious and troublesome, lost in the woods with a sprained ankle. As I struggled along, I met the now familiar Lamara.

* * *

"_Hello." The past version of Lamara smiled down at the black-haired child. He fidgeted nervously under her kind and knowing gaze.. "My name is Lamara, what is yours?"_

"_John." The past me answered. He studied the woman cautiously. "Where'd you come from?"_

"_Oh, I saw you wander into this forest, and when I didn't see you come out I figured something was wrong. So I followed you in. Can I see your ankle.? I know a little first aid." Lamara offered. I seemed to consider this very carefully._

"_But how'd you find me? I don't even know where I am." Sure enough, even as a child I was stubborn. Lamara smiled kindly._

"_It's O.K. You're really close to my house." As the younger me looked up, he missed the silent blur as the forest changed. Now there was a house visible among the woods. His eyes widened._

"_Oh." Slowly he held out his red foot and allowed the woman to examine it. She touched it briefly and a slight turquoise light flickered around her hands. Instantly the boy relaxed and yawned. His eyes drooped and the memory-vision blurred. The last thing visible was Lamara's hand as she touched the sleeping boy's forehead._

"_Sleep, my son, I will take you home." The woman assured me._

* * *

"That was you!" I exclaimed, pointing at Lamara and blinking the memories away. "Why didn't I recognize you earlier?"

"Kibetan just unlocked the memories. I wanted you to realize that we were always watching over you, whether you remembered us or not. Fortunately, you've been quite resourceful and haven't needed rescuing quite as often as we feared. Each time we did, though, we hid your memories away to prevent you telling your parents about the unusual "guardian angels" you had." Lamara explained. Noting the confused expressions on my team members faces I waved them upstairs. If I decided to tell them, I would, but some things need to be private, especially the memory of Kibetan helping me in the desert of Afghanistan after being shot down and then later the somewhat fortuitous arrival of a SEAL team that rescued me was led down by a timely gust of wind. They had landed right on top of the P.O.W. hospital where I'd been left after being captured and unsuccessfully interrogated. It hadn't been mere chance that the SEAL team missed their objective to rescue me from that hellhole. I had a feeling that were a lot more times that Kibetan and Lamara had secretly changed the outcome of events to prevent serious injury or death on my part.

"Thank you for watching out for me." I responded after checking to make sure that my friends weren't listening. "And I understand what you went through. Not the whole son thing, I'm not a parent, but I understand what it's like to be stopped by rules and regulations when all you want to do is protect those you care about."

"Yes, you do. Lamara and I certainly chose well when we left you with the humans." Kibetan's half-smile was eerily familiar.

"About that, am I human?" I asked worriedly. They considered this carefully.

"John, when we hid your power in Excalibur, we made sure you were in a human body. It wouldn't do for a pure Ancient to be walking around; it was bound to attract the others. We made most of your actual Ancient genes were dormant, though you did retain quite a few. Enough of them remained active to lead you to Atlantis and give you an unparalleled control over our technology. With the drawing of Excalibur, that's changed. You can't deny the fact you are our son. You should be able to appear human to your primitive machines, but those dormant genes are activated. Of course, neither race, human or Ancient, relies on genetic memory, so you're still you. You just have a new genetic make-up." Lamara explained. I thought it over. I didn't feel any different. And I didn't have any freaky memories or some 'past life' running around. Admittedly, it wasn't the worst thing to happen in the Pegasus galaxy; the Iratus bug and retrovirus incidents still held the top of that list.

"Oh. Well, at least I'm not turning blue and scaly. That's a relief." I joked around, my usual reaction to startling news. "You do realize, though, that Excalibur wasn't the sword in the stone of Arthurian legend? Arthur got Excalibur from the Lady in the Lake and then he gave it back to her. Supposedly."

"Who do you think was the Lady in the Lake?" Lamara lifted an eyebrow. "And of course the other Ancients never thought it odd that we kept the sword in the stone out of a reminder of Arthur. By the way, he is a cousin of yours. He's the son of the ascended you call Morgan Le Fay, my sister. he wasn't a full-blooded Ancient like you, but he was half. To our knowledge, you are one of a kind."

"Wow, cool family. How many half-Ancient kids are out there anyway?" I asked, curious.

"There aren't many. Those who do have relations with humans rarely progress to that degree. But it's probably safe to say that your friend General O'Neill had an Ancient ancestor quite recently by the fact his gene is still so strong and he can absorb the Ancient library. Half-Ancients do not possess the powers that full Ascended and you do. They normally just get a very strong gene combination. Of course, Arthur may have had some self-healing, but all in all, it is unusual for any child to receive any powers. Their human bodies wouldn't be able to handle it." Kibetan answered.

"Okay." I glanced at my watch. "I'm sorry, but I need to get back to Atlantis."

"That's fine, John. We'll be here if you need us." Lamara took Kibetan's hand and they walked back to kitchen while I climbed the stairs. I glanced down the hall at the white form standing in front of the door-portal.

"Hi, Sol. What's up?" I walked up the wolf-Staranian. He seemed like he was waiting for me. "I figured you'd be off somewhere until I can introduce you to Atlantis. Officially, I mean."

"I needed to speak with you, Sheppard. I am being called to a council meeting. Nothing about you, but the Staranian Council is just as serious as the Ancient one. Something unusual must be happening. Do not worry, I won't be long." Sol stood and shook him self. "Be careful."

"I will." I told him. He nodded and disappeared. Slightly shocked at the abrupt departure, I walked through the portal to Atlantis. When I glanced back at my door, it slid shut and became a standard Lantean door. I shrugged and continued walking towards the control room. Once there I noticed an active wormhole. Our weekly check-in was today. I also found an annoyed Carter who was debating with someone through the video link to the SGC. She finally threw up her hands in exasperation and said something that appeared to be an emphatic 'FINE.' I winced at her anger. "What's up?"

"Sheppard, you're here! Good, I need you to grab your stuff. We need to gate back to Earth. The IOA and General Landry are expecting our annual yearly debriefing. Evidently, you've been conveniently out of reach for the last two times. You're overdue. And they want the senior staff to accompany us. That includes the rest of SG-1 and Dr. Keller. Apparently taking the entire senior staff away from Atlantis is okay in the IOA's book. Luckily, Earth still has a functioning ZPM, so we aren't forced to come back via the Deadalus. To save the effort of dialing, we're keeping the wormhole open. We've all got about ten minutes to grab enough stuff for at least a week or two. You better start moving." Carter was livid, but, thankfully, I wasn't on the receiving end of that fury this time. I nodded sharply. Even if there was a complication with Atlantis, he doubted that a Stargate would prevent him from returning instantly. By now he had gauged the power in Excalibur -his power- and found that it was a pretty daunting force.

"I'm on my way. Have you told the others?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No, but don't worry about it. I'll take care of informing them. Unless you want to tell Rodney that he has to leave the city in Zelenka's hands again." She chuckled and I took off. After a short jog back to my quarters, I gathered all I felt I would need. Checking to make sure my golden 'pen' was still firmly attached, I headed back. As expected, McKay was late, but the other person standing in the gate room puzzled me. "Major Lorne? You here to wish us off?"

"No, sir. My dad's having some medical problems. I'm needed at home. I've already briefed Major Addison. He's a good man and he'll take good care of Atlantis till you get back." Lorne reported. I scrutinized his face. Though he seemed reluctant to talk, I couldn't help but notice a slight tightening in his eyes, betraying his true worry. It annoyed me that the city wouldn't be in my trusted second in command's hands, but obviously there were more pressing issues.

"It's all right, Major. I understand." I responded. A glint came into my eye. "But if he screws anything up, I'm blaming you."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." Lorne managed a half-smile at my try at levity. Something was very wrong. I only hoped that it would turn out okay. Not pressing any further, I turned to Carter.

"We just waiting on McKay?" Carter nodded and glanced at her watch. I sighed in exasperation. Finally, five minutes overdue, the scientist came huffing and puffing into the gate room. He looked at us in indignation.

"What?! There are a lot of important projects that I need to monitor. I had to at least grab my laptop." He attempted to adjust his pack and I rolled my eyes.

"Seeing as I haven't had a chance to do a full post-mission check-up on ANY of you four, we'll all be reporting to the infirmary as soon as possible. Including you, Col. Sheppard." Keller was even more annoyed than McKay at the forced debriefing. As we looked towards the shimmering wormhole, I nodded and waved us out. We stepped through the gate to find the SGC in a slight uproar. Looking at the soaked and mud-covered groups in front of us, my brow furrowed.

What's going on?" I asked one of the Marines. He looked as puzzled at the fact I didn't know what was happening. Then he noticed our Atlantis uniforms. He snapped to a salute that I waved off.

"Col. Mitchell's been missing for a few days and we just found him, sir. He's in the infirmary." He reported, though obviously soaking wet, cold, and tired.

"Which is where we are going, Col. Sheppard. NOW." Keller ordered. It seems she was seriously anxious to make sure we hadn't gotten injured and not told anyone about it. Teyla and McKay never deceived her, but I couldn't say the same for Ronon and me. Seriously, I didn't feel that broken arm last time. After greeting General Landry, we made our way through the corridors to the SGC infirmary.

"I seriously don't understand how all three of you got out of that building collapse alive." Keller continued. "And until I'm sure you all don't have internal injuries, you're not going to leave a hospital bed, got it?"

"Trust me, Doc, we're all fine." I tried to reassure her. As we crossed the seemingly empty room, something twisted in my gut. I felt someone sitting behind the next privacy curtain and, whoever it was, was not completely human. As I saw the curtain pull back, grabbed for my sword and shoved Keller and the others behind me, ignoring their gasps of protest. "What the hell…?"


	2. Star Girl

A/N: OK, fair warning concerned readers. This next chapter has no business being in an Atlantis story. Technically. BUT, since it is just a chapter and I plan to return to Sheppard's view point sometime for at least one more chapter, I figure I'd try my hand at SG-1. And don't worry, this story is a new kind of sequel. I call it a "run in." Guess what it does. That's right! It runs into the first one about ¾ the way through. This chapter is in Mitchell's (from SG-1) POV. Sorry for any OOC, the guy was only on TV for a little more than two seasons and it's hard to evolve in such little time. On a separate note, there is not an outpouring of action, death, or romance in this chapter. It's more for introducing Mitchell and giving him a side to the story. Thanks for all the comments on Sang Real, and I hope this is a worthy side story. Enjoy.

**Stargate SG-1: Star Girl**

"No! Why do you do this?" I screamed as the Prior took my blood. I knew that he was injecting it into prisoners as a form of severe torture. "You know my blood is lethal! Their human bodies can't handle it."

"Silence, Avalona. Even a young staranian as yourself can't defeat the Ori. Or manage to hurt me before the Ori can destroy your children. For however much you despise their religion, they are still your children, Avalona." The filthy Prior threw me back into my cell. I silently cursed the Ori and their followers. Then I cursed their machines that kept me bound here.

"I will get out of here and make you pay, Prior." I vowed.

* * *

"Mitchell! We're under attack! We need cover fire!" I reacted instantly to Daniel's radio call. Teal'c also sprang into action. We were guarding the gate while SG-15 and Daniel looked at some "fascinating" ruins of an ancient civilization. We left Vala to dial the gate and took off into the forest.

"Teal'c and I are on our way. Vala's dialing the gate now. Who's shooting at you?" I asked while running.

"Ori soldiers. It seems they're carrying on in their god's name. I think there's a Prior too. Don't' ask me how." Daniel's harried voice answered. I grimaced. We had pretty much destroyed the Ori, but their followers were still too stubborn and loyal to give up. The Prior, though, was supposed to be on our side with the Ark of Truth's influence. Maybe they were reversing it somehow. The followers alone had given us some trouble, but we weren't crazy about a Prior leading them. Teal'c and I paused as we heard fighting ahead. We proceeded slower and quieter. Somehow, the Ori soldiers had come between our people and the gate and we managed to walk up behind them. We opened fire, taking the soldiers by surprise. Soon they were all dead.

"That was quick." I remarked suspiciously. "And where's the Prior?"

"He's over here." Daniel called quietly. We snuck into the inside of the ruins beside Daniel. He pointed to the glowing blue stone in the Prior's staff. I nodded.

"All right. You're mostly scientists, so get back to the gate. Teal'c and I'll hold here. Go!" I ordered. Daniel looked worried, but led the other's to safety. I looked at the Prior. "He's up to something."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. I motioned and we split up. Teal'c crept toward the Prior's left and I covered the right. We inched forward. The soldiers were receiving orders. Quickly they split up, two covered the Prior while the rest hurried off in the direction of the gate. I motioned Teal'c to follow and stop them. He shook his head. I redid the motion more forcefully. The others weren't soldiers, they needed backup for a squad of Ori soldiers. I had to stay and watch the Prior. He sighed in exasperation and took off. I turned back to the Prior. He was looking around intensely. I huddled down closer to the ground. Suddenly I heard something crack behind me. As I turned, I felt a blast hit me in my right shoulder. There was a third Ori soldier and he had gotten the drop on me. To my dismay, the blast caused me to drop my P-90.

"Great Prior! I have found an infidel soldier. He was sneaking up on you. Thank the Ori I have stopped him!" The man's face was that of a heretic. My hands flexed spasmodically as the blast area burned. I almost lost consciousness, but was able to hang on by a thread. The forest wavered as I struggled to stay awake. The Prior came to investigate.

"One of the Tauri, obviously. He may be of some use. Bring him to the ship. We will take him to Avalon. I believe his people are at this Eye of the Gods, so we will take him to another. Bring him." The Prior ordered. Leaning down, he took my gun from my vest. As he started to walk away, the soldiers picked me up, jarring me into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Oh." I groaned as I awakened. I was lying in a steel cell with a force field door. My wound was almost hot with pain. I naturally assumed I was in enemy hands.

"You don't look so good." A girl's voice startled me. I could only manage to raise my head, but saw her. She was sitting in an identical cell across the hall. She was pale white with flaming red hair.

"You don't look so great either." I replied, coughing at the strain on my injured side. "What did you do to get stuck in here?"

"My kind are powerful, but the Ori enslaved me. Or rather, they tricked me into wearing this power-draining necklace. Meanwhile, I can't do anything because the Ori will destroy my children." She answered weakly. Before I could react to "children," the Prior walked in, followed by two soldiers. His staff flashed twice and the force field on my cell disappeared. The soldiers grabbed me and drug me out of the cell. Again the blackness threatened to swallow me, but I held on as we walked down the hallway.

"Put him on the table." The men placed me down on some form of lab table. The Prior stood over me. "Now, what's your name?"

"Yeah, that's going to work. Listen, does the Ark of Truth mean anything to you? You're supposed to be on our side!" I wheezed sarcastically. He frowned in concentration, then smiled.

"Your primitive human mind is no match for mine, just as the Ark of Truth was no match for me. You are Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Tauri. You are part of the team that has caused us so much trouble and cost many loyal soldiers their lives. I think I have a special form of execution for such a famed warrior. You, bring me the blood." He motioned to the soldiers.

"Yes, milord." The soldier bowed and retrieved a small bottle of red liquid. Before I could muster enough energy to protest, the Prior took an needle with a drop or so of the liquid and plunged it into my uninjured left arm.

"That's not a lot of poison." I told him. His smile looked sinister.

"It's not poison, it's blood. It will boil your insides and melt your bones. And because it is such a small sample, it will take quite a while to kill you. Take him back to his cell." He left, robes flapping. The men took for another "joyful" walk back to my cell. They placed me in and raised the force field again. After they left, I returned to my prison mate's story.

"What do you mean by 'children'?" I asked. My arm was already starting to tingle. She looked at me carefully.

"I am a staranian, or the soul of a star. I am Avalona, the soul of Avalon's star. All of Avalon's people are my children." She explained tiredly. I listened to her story carefully. We had met many kinds of aliens in our adventures as SG-1, but had never met any staranians. "What did they want you for, anyway?"

"Well, I should probably tell you that my friends and I pretty much destroyed the Ori using an Ancient weapon. The Priors, who we did use the Ark of Truth on, are kind of mad at me for that. Evidently they figured out a way around it's influence. I think they poisoned me, but they just kept calling it 'the blood.'" I told her. The tingling feeling had moved to my left hand.

"You destroyed the Ori? Remarkable. If only their destruction had removed my restraints. Also, I'm sorry." She looked deeply saddened.

"For what?" I asked as the tingling started to move up my arm.

"The "poison" they gave you is my blood. As a staranian, my blood can burn people from the inside out. It's quite painful. I'm surprised you're not feeling it already." Her face was apologetic, but confused. Meanwhile, the tingling had sped up. My entire chest itched and stung.

"Wow, powerful blood. I'm not really in any pain except my shoulder, though there is an annoying tingle that's spreading from my arm to my chest." I told her, slightly worried. Now the feeling

was headed up my neck.

"Could it be?" She stared at my face expectantly. "You see, there is a legend among my people. It mentions that it is possible for a person to be injected with a staranian's blood but not killed; rather the person would be transformed into a half-staranian."

"What?" This was an unexpected twist. Just then the tingling reached my skull. She gasped.

"It must be true! Look at your hair!" She exclaimed, struggling to stand. I gingerly sat up and peered at my reflection in the shiny metal wall. My hair now had the same coloring as the young girl's. It was a mixture of flaming red, orange, and blonde mixed with my normally brown hair.

"My hair!" I said in shock. She nodded.

"You must be unusual for my blood to do this to you." She said thoughtfully. "Once the blood gets to your shoulder, it'll heal that, too."

"Then I can get us out of here?" Even as I talked I could feel the tingling start around my wound. The wound seemed to glow faintly, then heal over with new skin. Kind of freaky, but I wasn't going to complain. I wasn't sure about how I was an exception to the boiling blood thing either, but I felt it better not to argue with something that was saving my life.

"I don't know if you want to call this transformation a gift or a curse. Your people will be suspicious. And your temperature will normally be around 120. I have never even heard of a human-staranian. I may look humanoid, but all staranians have a choice of form to take." She was concerned about the consequences of the Prior's actions.

"I'm sure it'll be a shock, but my friends are really accepting. Now can I get us out or not?" I asked impatiently. She nodded reluctantly. The tingling had completely filled my body and stopped.

"The blood should grant you control over the elements. You can burn the control panel for your cell's force field. Once you are free, you can do the same for mine. Since the Ori made this necklace to contain only my power, you should be able to burn it to cinders. In return, I will send you back to the planet you were taken from." She offered. I quickly agreed. I hadn't planned to leave her behind anyway. "Alright, now for the basics of fire starting. In the beginning, it's a good idea to get mad or irritated. That's why this can be curse. Unless you are really in control of your emotions, you can get in a fight with someone and burn them to a crisp. Fire starting is very dangerous."

"Got it. Think mad." I concentrated. I reached for a memory that would make me mad. Instantly, I remembered the Prior's face and my anger at the attacks on all the innocent worlds. I felt my the top of my head get hot. I looked at my reflection and was startled to find my hair on fire. "Whoa."

"Not bad for your first try. Fire is usually attracted to a staranian's hair because of the power in it." She sounded on the verge of laughter. I gritted my teeth in frustration and the flames grew. I mentally shoved them and they shot through the force field at my door and burned the control panel.

"Got it." I said triumphantly as the force field fell. She smiled faintly. "I think I've got a handle on the fire now."

"You should probably hurry." She stood expectantly. I nodded and sent the fire streaking into her cell's control panel, frying it. I walked over and looked at her necklace.

"Will I burn you if I touch this with fire?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I'm a star, we aren't hurt by fire." She replied. I carefully sent the fire into her necklace. It started to glow with the heat. "It needs to be hotter."

"Right." I frowned and the flames grew brighter. Finally, the necklace melted into a pool of liquid metal. She shook her hair out and it flamed. While mine was hot, hers was the essence of fire itself.

"I'll take it from here, Col. Mitchell." Her voice had a new, powerful tone to it. I backed up and let her pass. She shone with the power and heat of a contained star. We traveled back down the hallway to the lab room. The guards sounded the alarm and ran. The Prior turned to face us.

"Avalona, you know the Ori can stop you. Cease or all of Avalon will suffer." He raised his staff menacingly. She smiled.

"I think you've forgotten to mention the fact that Mitchell and his friends destroyed the Ori already. With no ascended to hide behind, you're all alone and I'm an angry star. Now as you are a former Avalonian, I beg you to stop this." She pleaded with the Prior. His eyes flashed and he raised his staff in answer. She bowed her head. "Very well." She barely glanced at the staff and it turned to ash. She raised a hand and he disappeared.

"What did you do with him?" I asked. She looked over at me sadly.

"I sent him to the Staranian Council. His actions will be judged. For his deeds, he will most likely be thrown into the heart of a black hole one inch at a time and kept alive to feel the agony. Staranians are not very forgiving towards those who wish or do us harm." She replied regretfully. I gulped. Their punishment was just, but harsh. "I thank you for your help. I don't know how long I would have been in that cell if you hadn't showed up. Or rather, had been captured. Come on, let's get to your stargate and send you home."

"Thanks." I followed her lead since I had been unconscious when I had arrived. We didn't see any more guards. "Where is everyone?"

"I doubt that anyone is brave enough to face an angry staranian. They're probably half way to the town by now." She opened a door and the motioned me through. Inside was the gate.

"Aren't we in a different galaxy than mine? We don't have a power source capable of getting me back." I groaned.

"Actually, as drained as I am, I still think I can manage a simple galaxy boost for a stargate. Dial the gate." She went a placed her hands on the gate. I shrugged and started to dial. As I entered the address and the gate started to spin, Avalona's hair flamed higher and wrapped around her hands. The energy entered the gate and allowed the eighth chevron to lock. Luckily I had remembered Daniel's speech on the symbols necessary to reach our galaxy and Earth's Stargate. The wormhole formed and I prepared to go.

"I dialed the planet the Prior found me on, so I won't hit Earth's iris. It protects us from things and people we don't know from coming through and killing us. What are you going to do?" I asked before I left. She lowered her hands without stopping the flow of power to the gate.

"Avalon is my system. I will stay here with my people, as ungrateful as they are. I will also contact the Staranian Council and inform them of your situation. I would be careful, Mitchell, your people might not all be as willing to accept you as half-staranian. You might have to come up with a cover story for your hair. As for your body temp, I'd find a doctor you trust to clear you personally. Someone who won't ask too many questions about how you're alive with a temp of 120 on average. Be careful. I'll contact your sun and tell him he needs to teach you the basics. We can't have you causing earthquakes and such." She waved for me to go.

"Thank you. How will I know who's supposed to teach me?" I remembered to ask before I stepped through.

"You'll know. He'll find you." She waved good-bye and I stepped into the wormhole.

* * *

"Ooh, cool." I remarked as I felt the planet's chilly night breeze hit my already wormhole-chilled face. Somehow, the air didn't feel quite as cold as the last time I felt it. I imagined it was because the whole half-staranian thing. I walked over to the DHD, or Dial Home Device. Without my transmitter to transmit the correct code to get through the iris, I wouldn't make it through the gate. I sat down and waited. I figured I had been gone about a day or two and they would still be looking for me on the planet. I only had to wait for the others to come and get me. Hopefully they'd come back before the ominous storm on the horizon reached me. Of course, I didn't have to wait too long; we didn't leave our people behind. As I heard the gate start to dial, I ducked behind a tree as a precaution. I didn't want the wrong people seeing me. Luckily, SG-1, minus the questionable Vala, came through with SG-15 and SG-13.

"Alright, spread out. Teal'c, you were with him last, lead the way. 13, guard the gate for any unexpected company." The leader of SG-15 ordered the others. Teal'c started off. "Daniel, try to figure out what the Priors wanted here. If anyone finds Mitchell, get on the radio immediately. He's may have been hurt or worse. You know how much the Priors favor brainwashing."

"Got it." At least Daniel looked skeptical. I was having trouble thinking of myself as brainwashed, but I knew it could happen. In fact, it had happened to Teal'c with Apophis once and almost happened to Daniel with Adria. Since I didn't want to explain to everyone that I was a half-staranian, I followed Daniel to the ruins. As I snuck up on him, I glanced at the stones. To my surprise, I instantly knew why the Priors were here.

"Hey, Daniel. What's up?" I whispered as I sat down beside him. He jumped about a foot in the air.

"Mitchell, what the…?" Daniel was freaked out. I motioned him to calm down. "What happened? Where were you? And what is with the hair?"

"Look, calm down, alright? I'll explain as well as I can. But don't call the others. They think I could be brainwashed and my story is not going to help them decide otherwise." I asked. He settled back down against the ruins.

"I'll listen, but only because I was with the Ori and know that if you were brainwashed, your hair wouldn't be reddish-blonde. Too noticeable." Daniel replied. I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's true. They wouldn't want their 'operative' to be obvious."

"Okay, you're going to listen to me just because my hair's a different color. Brilliant." I couldn't help but be sarcastic.

"Well then, are you planning to turn us all into Ori-worshipping fanatics? 'Cause you know they're all dead." Daniel was just as sarcastic.

"True, I'm not brainwashed, but you have to give a better reason than my hair be flame-colored to trust me again. Oh well, I guess you'll have to hear what happened. So there I was, watching the soldiers get orders. I sent Teal'c to warn you and then one of them got the jump on me. Yeah, I know, stupid, but they captured me. I fell unconscious and I'm pretty sure that they took me on their ship to a different planet and used that stargate to take me to Avalon. You know, their planet. Well, it turns out that they managed to figure out who I was and then they gave me what they considered poison." I told him. He looked concerned and confused.

"They gave you a poison that turned your hair red?" He asked. I nodded.

"Partially. Do you know who wrote on these stones?" I pointed to the ruins around us.

"I haven't managed to decipher any of it. None of it makes any sense to me." Daniel responded. He was a bit lost because of the abrupt change in topic. After a thought, I placed my hand on his bare forearm. "What?"

"Can you read it now?" I looked around. To me, the writing was as clear as day. It had to be staranian. Avalona's blood must have given me the ability to translate their writings. I was hoping that skin contact could allow Daniel to read it as well.

"Yes, but how?" He stood up then looked at it again. "Wait, I can't read it anymore."

"Well, the poison they gave me was blood. Not just any blood but a person from this race's blood. The thing is that this race is called staranians. They're the souls of the stars." I explained the connection. "You see, staranian's have blood that will burn a person from the inside out. Only, there's a legend among them that it is possible for a person to be exposed but, they get turned into a half-staranian hybrid instead of untold agony and death. It turns out I'm that exception. Lucky me."

"So you're what? Half-staranian? That's a leap from red hair to half alien. Now I'm not sure you're not just crazy. Maybe I better call the others." Daniel joked nervously. I shrugged and made my hair start on fire again. He jumped back.

"Whoa! Mitchell, your hair's on fire!" Daniel's voice rose in shock.

"Sheesh. I'm doing it, okay? It's the whole alien thing." I tried to explain. He closed his open mouth. I grinned. "You gotta admit it's cool."

"Yeah, it's cool. In a your-hair-is-on-fire sort of way. What else can you do besides set your hair on fire and read their language?" Daniel asked.

"Don't know. Yet. Avalona, Avalon's solar system's sun, said the Council gonna send our sun to teach me. Before you ask, I don't know what our star looks like either. See, Avalona is the one whose blood the Priors were using. Somehow the Ori managed to trick her into wearing a power draining necklace and put her in a cell. She had no idea that the Ori were dead. I helped her escape and she helped me get here. I only had to wait about five minutes before you showed up. How long have I been away?"

"About two days, Mitchell. You've had everyone at the SGC worried sick. In fact, we had dozens of people volunteer to be on rescue teams. Vala tried to sneak her way through to get you, but with these ruins, well… we weren't going to take any chances. And now it looks like you managed to escape all on your own. How are we going to explain that?" Daniel informed me. I winced. Two days was way too long to be missing. And, coupled with the extremely high 'fever' I was running, I could imagine the amount of fast-talking I would have to pull off so Doctor Lam wouldn't commit me to a mental institution. I let the flickering flames on my hair die out and I reached up to ruffle my hair. As I did, I saw Daniel's eyes widen and his entire body stiffened. His gaze was pointed over my shoulder. I slowly turned, expecting the worst. My slow yet anxious look revealed the source of the concern. Standing right at the tree line was Teal'c, another member of my team. Thankfully, he seemed to be alone, but he was staring quite intently at my hair which, until just mere seconds ago, there had been unexplainable flames. I threw him a nervous smile and prayed he wouldn't shoot first and ask later. "Hey, T."

"Col. Mitchell? Is this normal?" The normally unfazed warrior was confused to say the least. He did, however, lower his aim as he recognized my face, though never completely at ease. At least he wasn't swayed completely by the whole "they would never brainwash you and change your hair color too" thing. I needed to talk to Daniel about trust issues.

"Well, big guy, that's a good question. For now I guess it is." I continued on to explain everything. The stone-faced Jaffa raised an eyebrow or two, but said nothing. This guy was the master of non-verbal communication (I gave the Satedan in Pegasus second 'cause growling is verbal in my book). "So basically, yeah, this is a normal SG-1 occurrence. At least I didn't die and ascend like someone we know."

"Hey! I came back." Daniel defended himself. I had to agree. He could have stayed Ascended.

"OK, I'll give you that one. Meanwhile, back to the guy with fire coming out of his hair. Oh, and did I mention? I can now double as a portable space heater. My average temp's a toasty 120, so break out the marshmallows!" I tried to laugh off the strangeness. Daniel, the scientist he is, immediately attempted to feel my forehead. I pulled away. "Unless you managed to get an M.D. while I was gone, I don't know how that's gonna help. Face it, Dr. Lam has to be told."

"Will everyone not notice that something is different?" Teal'c offered. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, the hair does kind of give me away, but we're working on a way to explain that." I thought carefully. "Maybe sap?"

"Sap?" Daniel repeated in a skeptical voice. He stared at me for several minutes, attempting to ascertain if I was joking. I wasn't. "You think there's a tree with sap that gives your hair highlights? How dumb do you think Landry is? Or Lam for that matter?"

"I'm just saying…" I looked up at the star-filled sky. Or, technically the supposedly star-filled sky, because, frankly there were no stars visible. Instead the whole sky was covered by thick clouds. "Um, whatever we do, we better do fast. I don't think we want to be out here when that storm shows."

"What storm?" Daniel followed my gaze. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Come on we've gotta get out of here. We'll let the others come up with their own explanations. Just say I was unconscious for most of the day, lost for the time before the Ori guys left, and then, amazingly, got lost." Even Teal'c looked skeptical this time. I shrugged. "What?! It's the best I've got!"

"He does respond as Colonel Mitchell would. And he is right, the storm that is approaching is a danger. I was coming to inform you that the SG teams are preparing to leave. We should proceed quickly." Teal'c replied. Daniel gulped and nodded while I hauled myself up. Teal'c glanced at my torn uniform. "Are you injured, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Not anymore." Seeing the understanding dawn on Daniel's face, I clarified. "The blood's pretty useful, especially when you're escaping from Ori strongholds."

"Teal'c?" I heard the radio squawk. "You there?"

"I am. Daniel Jackson and I have located Colonel Mitchell. We are on our way." Teal'c answered. We started to walk back towards the gate. He continued on to answer someone's question. "He appears unhurt and says that he is fine. He was merely unconscious for a time while we were gone and awoke disoriented."

"Good job, T." I commended his ability to avoid the truth. Technically, I had fallen unconscious and woken up confused, just leaving out the whole "I-went-to-another-galaxy" bit. A sudden rumble of thunder pealed out, cutting off conversation. And, of course, it was followed by a steady shower of freezing cold rain. I heard a slight hiss as I felt the first drops. Looking cautiously at my arm I noted that, while it was pouring ice water around me, I was steaming. Yes, steaming. Not good. I fought a sudden yawn. "Uh, guys? I'm getting really tired here. Really tired."

"Mitchell?" Daniel reached over to touch me but pulled back several inches away. "You're baking."

"Well, I feel really cold. And tired." I bit back another yawn and stumbled. For some reason, probably because I didn't know how to control the power that I now possessed, my body was reacting to the cold by warming up the area around me. Obviously, it was taking a lot of the aforementioned power and, thus by way of irrefutable logic, making me tired. Sometimes I amaze myself. "Look, I think I need to get out of the rain. And I mean ASAP. I think it's draining me."

"Rain is draining you?" Daniel was horrified. "Why?"

"'Cause I know nothing about being a half alien. So, pardon me." This time I couldn't hold back a yawn. Luckily, we were nearing the Stargate, because I felt like I had just run five miles in Antarctica. And, trust me, I know how cold it is there; I crashed and spent quite a while in the sub-zero temperature. I needed out of the downpour fast. Just then we broke from the forest into the field surrounding the Stargate. My eyelids were starting to feel heavy. I stumbled again, this time barely catching myself. I felt a tentative touch as Daniel tried to feel my body heat.

"You're right, Mitchell, you're getting colder. Come on, Teal'c he's safe to touch now." Without a moment's warning, Teal'c grabbed my arms and picked me up in a fireman's carry. Signaling to the confused Marines to dial the gate, he broke into a jog. The last thing I remembered before slipping into the heavy fog of sleep was the feel of cold raindrops evaporating off my still semi-hot skin.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" I gained consciousness to the irate voice of Dr. Lam. "This man's fever is off the charts! He needs an ice bath, not heating blankets!"

"Look, Dr. Lam, I'm sorry, but there are extenuating circumstances. Mitchell ran into a 'surprising' complication off-world and needs heat. Trust me; as soon as he's up he'll thank you." Daniel tried to reason with the angry doctor.

"He has a fever that, in a normal world, would be boiling his blood and you presume to tell me my job?!" Yeah, she was pissed. Suddenly I felt a blast of cooler air assault me. Immediately, I began to shiver and feel tired as my body attempted to raise my temperature on my own.

"See? He needs the warmth. Put it back on him, please." Daniel pointed out triumphantly.

"I don't understand." Lam's voice was confused, but I felt the return of the slight warmth. My head quickly cleared under its presence. I blinked slowly as the SGC infirmary slid into place. The return of warmth was doing wonders for my strength and fatigue.

"Thanks, doc. I thought I was on the verge of hypothermia there." I said, sleepily at first but gradually increasing in strength. A snort of ridicule followed my statement.

"OK, I'll admit he reacts well to the heating blanket, but will someone please explain how he's not resembling a boiled egg right now?" Lam came over to feel my pulse, wincing at the increased warmth in my skin. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Daniel, go get Vala, I'm not repeating myself and she deserves the right to know as a member of SG-1." I motioned for him to go. He nodded. I sat up as I felt my strength return and I began to feel normal again. Evidently, while the power drainage was serious if sustained, it was easily and quickly remedied by heat. "Look, I'll tell you what happened when they get here, 'kay?"

"You definitely have some explaining to do, Mitchell." Lam crossed her arms.

"Come on, Teal'c. We'll let the Colonel say hello to the good doctor." Daniel called. Teal'c gave his ever-famous eyebrow raise and followed the archeologist out the door.

"I'm glad you're back. Even if you have an unusually high and deadly body temp." Lam's face softened out of the scowl. I gave her an easy grin.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." I told her. She reached for my previously injured soldier.

"Can I have a look at this at least?" She asked. I shook my head, ruefully.

"Actually, there's nothing to see. I was hurt, but it healed. It's part of the story, so you'll have to wait a second to find out." I stopped as I heard the sound of the gate whirling. "Who's coming in? There aren't any missions that I know about going on."

"It's probably Atlantis. Seems the senior staff is quite overdue for a check-in with IOA, so they're calling them home to give face to face debriefing. Poor Keller has her hands full with that group. Seems their SG-1 is tagging along to get their after mission check-ups because they miraculously survived a building explosion. Don't ask me too much, I just know that Keller asked permission to hold the check-ups here." Lam replied. I winced. It would be hard enough to explain the situation with just Vala and Carolyn there, I sure didn't want to have it the talk of the Pegasus galaxy. Of course, because of my reluctance to see them in my condition, it meant that I was rewarded with the sound of Keller's voice coming in to the room.

"… you're not going to leave a hospital bed, got it?" The petite woman's voice sounded like, similar to Lam's, whoever she was talking to was in for a serious lecture.

"Trust me, Doc, we're all fine." A male voice drawled out in an easy-going manner rival to my own. My musings on the identity of the speaker were forgotten as I felt the sudden feeling of heat and tingle coming from one of the forms behind the privacy screen. The voice continued, sounding startled. "What the hell…?" Something was seriously wrong with one the approaching figures. Someone was an alien and not just Athosian or Satedan. Taking a second to make certain I was recovered enough, I threw the blankets off and climbed out of bed. I pushed Lam out of the way, ignoring her noise of protest, then lit my hair on fire and grabbed a handful and prepare for whatever was coming. I yanked the screen out of the way to find a truly astonishing sight. Someone from Atlantis was shimmering with power and had drawn what looked like a sword that seemed to hold an immense power. It surpassed even the glow of Avalona at her worst. If I had ever had the chance to look at the sun from about 1,000 feet away, that is what it would look like. I winced and covered my face with my free hand while attempting to figure out who from Atlantis could possibly glow like that. A sudden gasp made me aware of the entrance of another group of people.

"Mitchell?" Daniel walked in, accompanied by an astonished Vala, a wary Teal'c, and a very surprised General Jack O'Neill. At my name, the fireball in my hand flickered. I didn't want to hit any of the others with a stray flame, but it was all I had to protect myself from the unknown. Also at my name or the flickering fire, the sword dropped an infinitesimal amount.

"Mitchell? As in SG-1 Mitchell?" The same voice, though now wary and curt, from before asked. Sheppard, I remembered, that's his name. Except the voice seemed to be coming from the person holding the sword and the last time I checked, Atlantis's military commander did carry swords around or glow like a mini-sun. My confused thoughts were cut short by a sudden flash of light and the appearance of wolf. I blinked slowly. Yes, a wolf had just teleported into the SGC. But one thing I noticed immediately was the color of its fur. The white wolf's fur was tinged with red, blonde, and orange hairs, much like my own when it wasn't covered by flames. The newcomer was a staranian. "Sol?"

"Yes, Sheppard." The wolf talked! Well, seeing as it was a staranian, not so surprising, but still! It was plain creepy. It looked between the two of us, assessing the situation. Then, to everyone's surprise, it huffed out what sounded like a laugh. "Peace, Sang Real, it is merely a misunderstanding. Col. Mitchell is quite unable to see with the power emanating from Excalibur. StarSon, I do not think Lamara and Kibetan will appreciate it if you harm their son. He is under staranian protection, you know."

"StarSon? Mitchell is a staranian?" This voice I immediately recognized as Samantha Carter. I cautiously let the fireball fade, but allowed my hair to keep up the flames. In an equal response, the shimmering figure, Sheppard or Sang Real as the wolf called him, sheathed the sword but rested his hand on the hilt, ready to draw at a moments' notice. He smirked at my wary look. Evidently he was very confident with whatever had happened. Then I connected what the wolf said.

"You have parents named Lamara and Kibetan? What are they Ancients?" I laughed at the impossibility. The room went dead quite as Sheppard traded guarded looks with Carter and the rest of SGA-1. "Oh, you have to be kidding me."

"Holy Hannah." O'Neill drew out slowly, making his presence known. "I leave the SGC for two years, TWO years mind you, and all of you go absolutely nuts. Carter, what is going on, why does Sheppard think he has Ancients for parents, why does Mitchell have fiery hair, and most importantly, why is there a wolf teleporting unannounced into the infirmary?"

"Sir, it's not that simple." Carter tried to placate the utterly lost General. "As for Mitchell, how should I know? We just got here."

"Well, somebody better tell me what is going on." O'Neill came in and sat in an available chair. The normally humorous man didn't seem to do confused very well.

"If both of you permit me, I will tell the stories, seeing as I know both of them." The white wolf offered, making the general even more nervous.

"Sure, Sol. Might as well." Sheppard sighed and mussed his already wild hair. He hopped up on an available gurney, joined by his team, Ronon, Rodney, and Teyla. Meanwhile, Carter, Keller, and another guy, Lorne or something, remained standing. Daniel, Vala, and Teal'c took the various chairs available and Lam crossed her arms again. Their gaze fell to me.

"Fine. Whatever. You know best, Sol is it?" I conceded.

"Yes. Very well, I will begin." The dog paused and looked at the end of my bed. I obligingly sat back down and wrapped the heating blanket around my hunched up knees. He sprung onto the bed and laid down. "Thank you, that's much more comfortable. I believe I'll start with Col. Mitchell's 'adventure' and then tell you John's."

"As long as you tell us something, Sol." Sheppard was annoyed, I could tell.

"All right, two days ago, as those at the SGC well know, Col. Mitchell was vanished after an Ori attack. What you didn't know is that he was taken prisoner by the soldiers led by a Prior who had reversed the Ark of Truth's influence. While there he met Avalona, the staranian of the Ori's home solar system. They had been using her as a power source and taking her blood for a special sort of execution. The Prior had found that staranian blood, when given to humans, overwhelms their immune system and systematically boils every living tissue and cell. They save it for their most troublesome prisoners. Basically, the more they hate you, the less they give you to make it drag out the pain. They gave Col. Mitchell a drop." Sol growled at the use of his people's blood.

"They poisoned you?" Lam moved to take my temp again, but found she could feel the body heat from several inches away. She frowned. "You are burning up."

"I feel fine." I shrugged. There were three simultaneous snorts of laughter. I spotted Rodney, Keller, and Carter all covering their mouths.

"He sounds just like you, Sheppard." Rodney managed to blurt out. Sheppard glared.

"Well I do. Better than in that stupid downpour." I muttered. Sol looked at me.

"With training, you can learn how not to project the heat and how to control the release of it so you aren't attempting to dry yourself off in a rainstorm. But, no, he wasn't poisoned. In fact, there are many opinions as to what happened. Somehow, Mitchell was not killed, but changed. His DNA was partially mutated so that he is now half-staranian. Thus he now has a body temp of 120 and the, what was it you called it, 'fiery hair'?" At O'Neill's smirk and nod Sol continued. "He informed Avalona of the Ori's destruction and assisted her in escaping the power draining restraints. In return, she sent him back to the Milky Way, sent the Prior to the Council for judgment, and asked me to take on your training."

"Judgment?" Sheppard asked, interested. Sol nodded.

"They decided on our highest level of punishment. From now until the next star is born he is trapped halfway inside a black hole with no way to leave or die." Sol growled and sniffed. Sheppard's eyes widened in shock.

"Ouch. Sol, remind me not to piss you off, ok?" Sheppard laughed nervously.

"That's what I said." I added, nodding. "Now that everyone knows what a freak of nature I am, let's hear what happened to glowy boy over there and his super sword, Excalibur."

"There's not much to tell. I was born." Sheppard shifted uncomfortably.

"There is slightly more than that. Sheppard's parents are Lamara and Kibetan, leaders of the Ascended Council. He was born while they were still Ascended, as impossible as that sounds. But, since such a child was forbidden, they stripped him of his power, put it in Excalibur, and sent him to Earth. When the building collapsed it allowed a portal on the Ascended plane connect with the room that they were trapped in. It turns out that the Ascended Council, however reluctantly, had passed the motion to allow Col. Sheppard to reclaim Excalibur and his power. Now he's reabsorbing it. As for the bright light you see, that can be attributed to the fact that you don't know how to filter your vision yet and are seeing the raw power and the fact that John is new to this as well and doesn't know how to shield other than when Excalibur's in its sheath. Any questions?" Sol offered at last. Everyone looked at either Mitchell or Sheppard.

"Yeesh, you'd think we'd grown two heads or something." Sheppard muttered. "I'm just an Ancient. Not anything serious."

"I know how you feel." I traded looks with him. He slowly grinned a standard, from what I could tell, Sheppard half-smile.

"It's cool, huh?" Sheppard asked. I shrugged and nodded.

"It definitely has its good sides. 'Course I don't even know what all I can do yet." I offered. He nodded in recognition.

"Yep, definitely know how that one feels. I just got this sword a day and a half ago. Maybe even a day." He thought a minute. "It's been a little hectic, what with Michael and all. He had Teyla so we busted her out before bringing the hive ship back to Atlantis to play with."

"You get all the toys." I griped good-naturedly. Suddenly I noticed the expression of intense interest on Daniel's face. "And now I think you're in for the longest versions of twenty questions Daniel's managed to invent. It took him a minute but the words 'I'm an Ancient and my parents are too' finally hit home."

"Yeah, figured they would." Sheppard sighed and turned to the increasingly excited Jackson. "Look, I'll take you to meet the folks as soon as I get a chance, OK? I swear."

"Oh, OK … that's great." Daniel visibly deflated. O'Neill gave out a knowing chuckle.

"Give him a break, he's probably exhausted. And besides, you know once you get started, you don't stop until you either fall asleep or pass out from hunger." General O'Neill had the benefit of experience as SG-1's leader for eight years before I showed up. We both knew how true that statement was.

"You're right, I am a little tired. But…" Sheppard thought a second. He hopped off the bed and walked over to a medical tray, grabbing a needle. Then, before either doctor could stop him or ask what he was doing, he stabbed his finger. Once several drops were accumulated, he pulled them into a syringe.

"Colonel Sheppard!" Doctor Keller sounded shocked. He looked up at our startled faces.

"Oh, sorry." His eyes flicked back to his finger in concentration. I saw a bright flicker of power and the blood stopped welling up. "Lorne."

"Sir?" The man who had remained quietly in the background was startled into speaking. At Sheppard's gesture he approached him.

"You said your dad was sick right? Just think of this as bonus pay for doing a good job." He handed the syringe and its meager drops to the puzzled Major. At his bewilderment he explained. "Back on the hive ship, Teyla got shot and my parents told me that my blood has healing properties. I don't know what's wrong, but it's worth a try. Just slip it in an IV, OK?"

"Th-thank you, sir." Lorne's hand tightened protectively over the syringe.

"Let me see your hand, Col." Keller ordered. Sheppard smirked and let her look at the now gone pinprick. "It's gone!"

"Yep. Cool, huh?" He looked around for our agreement. I nodded.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. When I got captured, I was shot. Couple of drops of blood later and I'm throwing fireballs around." I showed him the charred uniform over my right shoulder.

"What?!" Now it was Dr. Lam's turn to scold. She pulled me around and felt of my shoulder. She winced as she did.

"Something wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"No, it's just so hot. I'm not used to patients being that hot and alive at the same time." She admitted.

"Well, it's healed and I feel fine. Just thankful Daniel and Teal'c didn't let you give me the ice bath. I was so cold from trying to evaporate a rainstorm, I'm not sure I would have woke up after an ice bath. Evidently I have a lot to learn." I told her.

"Now that I can understand." Sheppard knew better than anyone how I felt.

"All right, you two stay here since you seem to be all magically better while Dr. Lam and I go check out the actual patients." Keller herded the Atlantis team out. After a few minutes of awkward silence O'Neill clapped his hands together in a satisfied way.

"Well… show's over, folks." He finally lost the confused expression. Daniel and Teal'c went to go catch up with Carter and he looked us over. "Thank you for the debriefing. I'll take care of the paperwork, so don't bother filing any reports. Don't worry, no one will find out from me. Besides, I seriously think the IOA would have a heart attack if they heard what you two can do. So I'll just not tell them."

"Thank you, sir. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be as a lab rat." Sheppard smirked. Like anyone would be able to keep him somewhere even if he was human. True, I did share his feelings on the whole situation.

"It was good to see you, General." I threw him a sloppy salute. If there was ever a general for not following the rules it would be O'Neill. He wrote the book on how to disrespect your commanding officer and get away with it.

"You, too, Mitchell. Just…" He hesitated, testing the waters. "Don't light anyone on fire except yourself. It would be a bit complicated to explain."

"I think I can manage that, sir." I chuckled. He nodded.

"Well then, I have some paperwork waiting to have my name on it. Oh the joy." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Sheppard shot a look at me.

"Actually, sir, thought you'd like to know. Evidently one of your recent ancestors was an Ancient. That's why you were able to download their library and work the chair. It's probably like a great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather, but if you want I could find out." The colonel offered. This news stunned the general.

"Huh… interesting. Now Daniel's gonna be doubly happy, but I guess go ahead. It never hurts to learn all you can about your family." He accepted the strange offer graciously. "As long as your parents don't give me any swords, I'd love to meet them sometime. You know, tell them what exactly they unleashed on the Pegasus galaxy: you. And please tell me your father doesn't share your penchant for trouble, Atlantis seems to be having a hard enough time reigning you in." O'Neill teased.

"Oh, don't worry I think Lamara keeps him in check." Sheppard grinned. He saluted the general good-bye.

"So, Sheppard, I know why I'm an alien, but it sounded like you had a choice. Why'd you do it? You don't sound too thrilled about being an Ancient." I tried to break the silence as he looked around. His eyes froze. When he finally spoke it was slow, as if he was trying to reason it out himself.

"Michael had Teyla and I couldn't leave her there. Lamara offered the sword and told me I could use it to save her. It's as simple as that." Sheppard finally raised his eyes to meet mine and I inwardly winced at the steel in them. "We never leave our men behind. I just don't."

"Good point." I said after a second, breaking the newest silence. He shrugged.

"Besides, I've heard what a future with Teyla's baby in Michael's hands sounds like. Couldn't let that happen. Not in my galaxy. Now over on this side of the universe it's your responsibility. Though, if you wanted, I could see if Lamara could change you back. She's good with DNA; she fixed the baby after Michael tampered with it." He appeared to be gauging my reaction. I thought for a minute then grinned.

"Nah, I'm good." At his raised eyebrows I defended my statement. "What if our roles were reversed? Would you give up something that could save people's lives to be normal?"

"No." He agreed. Whatever his style, Sheppard seemed to be a good guy. Or Ancient. Or whatever.

"In our line of work, who says what's normal anyway?" I joked. He chuckled.

"Yep, that's us, just a couple of normal flyboys saving the universe on a daily basis." Sheppard gestured to the door as I stood. "Now that we've got all this geeky talk out of the way, I'm starved!"

* * *

A/N: There, shorter than the last, but it's still there. Hopefully you kept up with that and aren't too mad at the lack of evil, life-sucking vampires or seriously deranged ascended beings hell-bent on taking over the galaxy. Sorry, but I really wanted Mitchell to get a chance to shine. And, it gives Sheppard a chance to talk about what happened. Please forgive me for the really packed infirmary and extremely silent group. I really wanted all of them to know and off of a side request got sidetracked into an O'Neill reaction. Personally I think he may be a little bit OOC, but that's because most of what Jack does is visual. He has the whole incredulous look down pat. SO, now that that's been said, I would like a little feedback. Personally, there should be a third full-length chapter somewhere in the distant future (and I mean distant, 'cuz right now it's merely a vague plot direction), but I was also thinking of adding a few clips in about some of the training the boys will get by Sol. Just some of the cooler powers, not all of them. They'd be mostly humor and allow me some leniency in getting the full-length chap up. Also, it would give background for some gifts that would show up in that chapter. What do you think? Good idea, bad idea, or please God stop her from writing because we're bored out our minds? Thanks for the, however few, positive reviews and sorry it took so long to finish.


	3. Memories

A/N: This is like a mini-episode; mainly just a random conversation between Sheppard and Teal'c sometime after the meeting in the infirmary. Doesn't really rely on the other two chapters though they are mentioned briefly. I was thinking back and realized the similarities between Teal'c at the end of "Unending" (SG-1) and Sheppard after "The Last Man" (SGA) (Oh, and BIG spoiler alert for those). I really thought they should have SOMEONE to talk to. I mean all that stuff happens and you can't tell anyone? Even Sheppard's not that stoic. I'd be so nervous I'd let something out that I'd end up blurting out the entire story to everyone. I wanted to give them both someone to talk to who completely understands. Call me a softie. Enjoy!

**Memories**

"Just go ahead and knock Sheppard." I told myself. I was standing in front of Teal'c's room feeling nervous -seriously, the military commander of Atlantis was feeling nervous about talking to someone- and trying to convince myself to finish what I had started. Finally I worked up my nerve and quickly rapped on the door. A few minutes later it was opened.

"Col. Sheppard?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow. I grinned, still somewhat anxious. "What do you need?"

"You got a minute, Teal'c? I'd like to talk to you about something." I asked. He considered my question and slowly bowed his head and stepped back, allowing me inside. I walked in and watched him shut the door. I bit my lip as I tried to think out what I wanted to say. He waited patiently as I gathered my thoughts. Finally, I jumped in.

"Doesn't it drive you crazy? The knowing, I mean." I spat out, slightly embarrassed that, having heard what Teal'c had gone through two years ago, I felt the urge to speak to him about it.

"About your heritage?" Teal'c referred to the fact that, right before most of the senior staff had been called back to Earth for extensive debriefing, I had found out that my parents were actually ascended Ancients. I shook my head impatiently.

"No. Let me explain. See, about two weeks ago, during the search for Teyla, I stepped through the Stargate to Atlantis. Problem is, I landed there 48,000 years in the future. The ocean was gone and I was possibly the only human left alive. While I was there, a hologram of an aged McKay told me what happened to the team when I vanished. I heard about the report about what happened on the Odyssey. You spent 50 or 60 years trapped on that ship. Time that no one else remembers. Doesn't it kill you to see people and not remember the things that could be?" I sat in one of his chairs and he sat in the other. "Because it's driving me crazy and I just heard about it."

"It is quite… interesting to remember certain parts." Teal'c admitted. I nodded and decided, to heck with timelines. Besides Teal'c would never tell anyone. Hell, he hardly talked.

"You've got that right. Do you know what happened after I left?" I continued without pausing. "Michael killed Teyla once her child was born. How do you tell your friend that her child was used to conquer the galaxy? Ronon, well, he went down fighting… literally. Started training locals in guerilla tactics and a mission to blow up a science lab went bad. Died next to Todd, our sometimes ally Wraith, after his men got clear. And Carter… she forced IOA to give her the newest ship, the Phoenix. Led hit-and-runs against Michael's hives. Got caught in an ambush and went down with the ship, but not before beaming her crew to the gate on the planet. How do you look at someone and know that they sacrificed themselves taking out three hive ships at once? And Rodney's the hardest. You know he quit? Just up and quit. 'Course you can't really blame him, because the IOA sent Woolsey to replace Sam. Started going on about shutting down humanitarian efforts and research projects not relevant to military applications. So he and Keller quit. And you know the worst part? On the trip back, they fell in love. One of my best friends found love."

"Sometimes emotions could be affected by outside influences; you have no way to judge if it was truly love or affection." Teal'c tried to point out. I cut him off.

"No, I saw his face when he talked about her. And he knew there was a chance that they would never get together in this timeline. But, then again, it didn't really matter." I let out a short, strained laugh. "Because a year after they got back she died from complications with working with the Hoffan drug. She'd tried to stop Michael's widespread use of it to weed out the weak for his hybrid army. McKay spent 25 years of his life trying to get me home. He did it. Guess he really is a genius. Now he and Keller are still squabbling over medicine not being a real science and Ronon's hinted that he's thinking about asking her out. And I'm can't say anything. At all. I look at my team and visualize them dying over and over again 'cause I wasn't there to stop it. Guess you could say I've got guilt issues. The strangest part is that it's survivor's guilt and none of them are dead yet."

"I understand better than you think, Col. Sheppard." Teal'c nodded. He looked ready to talk. "I agree, it is difficult to keep secret the things that occurred in the many years that I spent with Mitchell, Carter, Jackson, Vala, and Landry. It is almost as difficult as watching the General die and having his funeral, though we had quite a garden after he finished modifying a lab. Col. Carter was a beautiful cellist, once she learned to play. I often miss her playing. And Jackson became quite proficient at both speaking, writing, and reading both Azgard and Ancient. Of course, my time with Vala was quite… shocking."

"Don't tell me you and her…?" I raised my eyebrows in horror. He chuckled.

"No. Col. Sheppard. It was merely unusual to see her show that deep of emotion towards Jackson. Landry married them." He informed me. I sat back in my chair, stunned. "Though, I must admit, towards the end they were so close that they frequently finished each other's sentences. It is hard for me to see them act so rash around each other. The only thing I do not have trouble keeping secret is Col. Mitchell's devotion to training that led him to finally become my equal. I may be 130 years old, but, as O'Neill pointed out about himself repeatedly, I have my pride."

"He beat you?" I snorted. "Yeah, better not let him hear that. It'll inflate his ego till it's bigger than Rodney's. Especially now that he's a walking fireplace. Still can't get over the fact he's now half-staranian."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed comfortably. We spent a few more minutes collecting and arranging our thoughts. I stood, finally at ease.

"Thanks for listening. I needed to get that out. Too many things that you can't tell a psychiatrist. As for this, I won't tell your team if you don't tell mine. Just our little secret." I walked to the door and opened it.

"Of course, Col. Sheppard. I will see you tomorrow." Teal'c bowed slightly and shut the door. I rolled my head around to work my stiff neck muscles. It actually felt good to get that off my chest. And, unlike the base psychiatrist who I couldn't tell anyway because of the potential timeline pollution, Teal'c understood and would never tell anyone. He had the same burden as I did: memories of what could have been.

A/N: Hope that's believable. I really couldn't see them getting all emotional, just a straightforward telling. To get it out in the open. If this is well liked I'll put out a mini-chap over the boys learning about a new power. Thanks for reading.


	4. Blowing Off Steam

A/N: Here's another mini-chap! This one's about a lesson the boys have. Just mainly something I thought would be really cool to do. Enjoy! And apparently brackets do not want to show up in this place, so I'm reposting this with the telepathic parts in italics. Stupid formatting.

**Blowing Off Steam**

"What are we doing out here, Sol?" I asked. We, Sol, Colonel Mitchell, and I, were standing in the midst of an open field, in the middle of nowhere.

"What do you think, Sheppard? We are training." The white wolf-staranian said matter-of-factly. I let out a cross between a moan, groan, and a sigh. We had been training as much as possible for the time I was available. Both Mitchell and I had already learned to filter our senses to detect aliens/Ascended and how to regulate the power we released, the latter due to Mitchell's inability to tolerate cold water without it evaporating. It wasn't so much of a problem as long as he took warm showers, but if he got caught in a rainstorm, like right before we found out about our respective weirdness, he was in trouble. We'd both gotten the hang of it and Mitchell could successfully tolerate cold again. After that extremely long lesson we had taken up shielding to protect from bullets and the like. That one wasn't too hard because it's natural human nature to defend oneself. Teleporting and telepathy were getting easier and, since I was back in Atlantis, extremely useful for the commute to where Mitchell was. And now we were out in the middle of nowhere to do yet more training.

"What are we learning about?" Mitchell asked, slightly interested. Before I met Mitchell I had felt that I was pretty optimistic. The guy put me to shame. I guess once you survive an Antarctic fighter crash and learn how to walk again, anything has a silver lining.

"Relax, Sheppard. I know that you have learned numerous things in the last few weeks. And, having known your father for many centuries and getting to know you and Mitchell, I've decided that I will teach you something a little more… fun." The wolf sat and looked around. "Though many Ascended and staranians believe it is a superfluous ability, as the benefits of being pure energy give one much more flexibility and power, I am going to teach you how to 'shape shift'."

"Really? Into what?" I was curious and a little more than hopeful. I had a great idea.

"Any natural creature on Earth except sentient beings for now. They are the ones both of you are most familiar. And so you don't stress your bodies too much, I will limit you two forms for now. Once you get stronger we can negotiate." Sol answered calmly. I grinned and looked over at Mitchell.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking? 'Cause I've got a really cool idea." I had always imagined what it would be like and now was the perfect chance. At Mitchell's cautious shake, I continued. "Oh, come on, you're a pilot, too. You should be able to guess. …No? OK, fine, peregrine falcon, fastest skydiver, over 200 mph, on this planet at least."

"Sweet!" Mitchell's eyes lit up, as mine probably already had. He turned to Sol. "Can we do that?"

"Yes. I know that you are both pilots and felt that this would be the perfect way to relax. It will also be useful in surveying the area from the air." Sol agreed.. "Now to explain it simply, shifting requires you to have an imagination, another reason the Ascended and staranians don't use it. You have to feel what the animal you're attempting to become would feel like. For a bird it would be wind in feathers and strong eyesight. It would be the freefall of diving and the control of gliding. As you are pilots, a bird would be the most logical choice for you to start out on. Try it."

"OK, I'll go first." I closed my eyes and remembered what it was like to imagine being a bird when I was a kid. Nothing but wings and the wind keeping me up. Like crashing a jet with absolute control. I grinned at the thought of physically flying at 200 mph. I was so focused that I barely felt the surging power and shift. Suddenly I could no longer smile. My face was small and my normally charming grin had become a fiercely curved beak. I had shrunk! My eyes darted to the now large Sol. He was nodding.

"Good job, Sheppard." His voice was extremely loud in my sensitive hearing. I tried to throw up my hands to block the sound, only to find they were now wings.

"Hey! Can we talk a little quieter?" I demanded. Or rather, tried to demand. It came out as odd screech and cheeping noise. Mitchell bust out laughing. Loudly. He would have kept on if Sol hadn't shook his head and contacted us telepathically.

_Colonel Sheppard asked us to be quiet. I imagine it is very uncomfortable to hear so well up close._ He scolded telepathically. _I really ought to teach you to translate languages._

_Oh. Sorry, Shep._ Mitchell apologized, still chuckling under his breath. _Well? Can you fly?_

_Let me try._ I responded. I thought a second, then leaned forward and began to flap. After several minutes of hard flapping, I finally reached a gliding height. _Wow, that takes a lot out of you._

_True birds rarely land except when eating, and even then they usually carry their prey to a close tree. Try to find a thermal while Col. Mitchell attempts to join you._ Sol instructed. I began to scan the skies around me for disturbances. Finally, just as Mitchell began to flap, I spotted a pillar of tantalizingly warm air. I winged my way over. The second I hit it was like a mini-rollercoaster.

_Woo-hoo._ I cried out, exhilarated. I began to circle as the air lifted me higher and higher._ Now this is awesome. Come on, Mitchell, you gotta try this._

_I'm coming. _He angled his way over to me. I inwardly grinned at his whoops of delight once he hit the edge of the thermal. Flying was fun! I mean, we both had flown jets and F-302s and I'd spent the last few years flying Puddlejumpers, but still. This type of flying rocked!

_Wanna race?_ I offered. He glanced over at me with falcon eyesight. _Unless you're scared._

_Yeah right! You're on._ He swooped over to fly beside me. _Back to Sol?_

_Yep. Ready?_ At his confirmation we leaned forward simultaneously, stooping into a freefall dive. I let out a bird-screech of pure exhilaration. I mentally shouted and laughed. _Oh hell yeah!_

A/N: I know, compared to the ability to go anywhere and blast people into oblivion with a single thought, shape shifting is not that important of a power. But you gotta admit, it's pretty dang cool. Especially for pilots. And you know those two are competitive enough to race. It's up to the reader who should win, though. So I finally started working on the next full story/chapter last week and it's coming along nicely. Didn't have to beg the muses. Much. So hope you stick around for the next installment. Suggestions for mini-chaps are always welcome. The long chaps are mine though!


	5. A Chance Encounter

A/N: So, one of my readers felt that there should be a crossover between my story and X-Files. I didn't know how well that would turn out, so I made this mini-chap. No spoilers unless you have no idea what X-Files is. My suggestion? Watch more TV. This mini-chap is a coincidental meeting between my two heroes who are now technically alien and the famous alien hunters.

**A Chance Encounter**

"Hey, wanna get some grub?" I asked as I popped into Mitchell's room. He shot off the bed, hair flaming. I snickered. "Wow, you really need to learn to stop that from happening. What if SG-1 throws you a surprise party. It'll definitely surprise people, just not in a completely positive way."

"Well, it could be avoided if some Ancient flyboy would announce he was coming before he appeared out of thin air!" Mitchell grumbled as he convinced his hair that, no, he was not in imminent danger. It finally flickered out as he calmed down. Our powers were tied into our emotions and, being part star, Mitchell had an uncanny knack for fire that usually expressed itself by sprouting out his newly highlighted hair. Mine was a sword that didn't like anyone touching it. McKay was still nursing a slight electrical burn from where he tried to pick up Excalibur and examine it. I had bluntly told him that he was lucky that it hadn't blasted him into the next solar system. "What do you want, Shep?"

"I live in the Pegasus galaxy and I figure, if you can teleport anywhere in the known universe, you can always go out for cheeseburgers. So I thought I'd ask if you wanted to come. We can hang out. You'd be surprised how boring it can get listening to McKay whine." I explained. Mitchell grinned.

"What happened to tuning him out? Or the fancy lemon-in-the-pocket trick?" He pointed out. I shrugged.

"I can only take so much and threatening him with citrus just makes him more annoying, if that's possible. I think someone told him that I was just having fun with him and that I'd never do it." I muttered a curse at the idiot who'd told him that. Probably Zelenka. 'Course it could always be that I've worked with the guy for five years and haven't done anything yet. "So, you wanna come?"

"Where are we going?" He asked as he grabbed his jacket. I grinned.

"Back when I was in California for Basic, I remember this great little café. It had the best burgers. We can hang out and laugh at all the cadets making fools of themselves. It'll be fun." I promised.

"OK, I'm in." He answered. I nodded. "Now where's this place? I need a visual."

"Let me see what I've got. There's an abandoned alley behind it. We should be able to pop in there. I know the streets around it, so we should be able to use that as a reference." I formed the picture with my memories, allowing for time to change the surroundings. When I felt the teleport start to work, I knew I had enough points of reference. I mentally sent the image to Mitchell. _Got it?_

_Yeah. _He concentrated as well. We both disappeared in flashes of light.

* * *

"Whoa! Sheppard! This is disgusting! Why am I the one who lands on the still-fresh bubble gum? Huh?" Mitchell complained as he looked at the bottom of his shoe. I shrugged.

"I don't know, stuff just sticks to you." I kept my voice even. He just glared at me. I waved at our surroundings. "Hey, I got us here, didn't I?"

"Yeah." He admitted. I smirked in pride. I had gotten us here with an old memory. And it wasn't my fault he got gum on his shoe. "Well? Let's eat!"

"I'm starving. You people on Earth do not know what you're missing. Yeah, I'm a good little soldier. Yes, I am used to eating MREs and military food for long periods of time. But nothing in my job description mentioned living years at a time on them. I am sick and tired of freeze-dried and dehydrated food. Even with the Deadalus making supply runs, none of our food is exactly fresh." I ranted, feeling a bit like McKay. Luckily Mitchell decided not to comment and just nodded in understanding. "So… whatcha gonna get? I'm thinking triple cheeseburger with extra greasy fries."

"You're going to die an early death, Shep." Mitchell pointed out. I shook my head. "But I guess I'll die with you."

"We won't die. Keller and Beckett are always getting after me to bulk up some. Between injuries and my exercise, I'm usually teetering on the brink of being underweight." I shot back. "And you probably burn off calories like mad."

"Hey! Don't knock fire starting." He replied defensively. "It saved my life."

"True." I led the way around the corner and into the café. "Come on."

"I'm coming." He assured me, still attempting to rid himself of the gum. We walked in and noticed the packed room. We took a booth right by one that held two arguing people. The redhead seemed to be trying to calm down the angry brown-haired man. Was this some type of lover's quarrel? I looked for a different choice of seats, but saw none. It looked like we were going to have to ignore the couple. I inwardly groaned.

"Well, this was not the best idea." I sat and he slid in across from me. Now it was his turn to chuckle. The waitress brought us a couple of waters. I glowered over my drink at him, but our banter was interrupted by the man's next words.

"I'm telling you, Scully. The government is hiding things from us. You've seen all the unusual things going on in our world. You have to admit that there are alien influences in our world. Something is going on. And our government is in on it." The man insisted. Mitchell and I froze. I put down my water and stared at him. His eyebrows were raised. I hadn't misheard then.

"May I take your orders, sirs?" The chipper waitress offered. Snapping out of our surprise, we ordered quickly and went back to listening to the conversation as soon as she was gone. Mitchell had the benefit of facing them and took the time to study their faces. He shook his head.

_Not Ascended or staranian. Should we check for Goa'ulds? _He mentally questioned. I closed my eyes briefly and let my power cover the two.

_They're not Goa'uld. _I confirmed. _Maybe they're just alien conspiracy theorists._

_What are the chances that conspiracy freaks choose the one diner where two 'aliens' will show up? _He asked, slightly wary. I shrugged and listened to 'Scully's' response.

"Mulder, you've got to admit, just because the government employs us to explore every possibility of the X-Files, doesn't mean there are aliens behind every bush." She calmly pointed out. I relaxed slightly. Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left was doing. These two were actually investigating aliens while we fought them on a daily basis. And they apparently worked for the government. Mulder responded with a deep sigh.

"We've done this job for years, Scully. You have to realize that all the weird things we see are not just random coincidences. There have to be aliens in on it. And the fact the government is so uncooperative serves to reiterate my belief that there is a conspiracy. Did you know that over a hundred people disappeared for a year straight? Military and some of the best scientific minds in our country. Something happened, but when I ask the ones who pop back up every once in a while, they can't talk. Our government is covering something up." Mulder was passionate about his work, that's for sure.

_What do you think he'd say if we told him those people went to an alien city called Atlantis? _I wondered mentally to Mitchell. He snorted. We were forced to pause as the waitress brought our food. Fortunately, having a full mouth doesn't cut back on mental conversations as much as real ones.

_From what I can tell, the guy seems a little whack. Conspiracies? _Mitchell chewed thoughtfully. I stared at him.

_You do realize that the Stargate program is probably the biggest cover-up in human history? And that aliens really do exist. Besides that, he actually noticed that all us military and the geeks vanished for a year when we weren't in contact with Earth. I wonder why no one else noticed that? It seems glaringly obvious if you ask me. _I commented dryly.

_Well, he obviously has no proof to back him up. _Mitchell observed. I shrugged.

_Still an interesting fact. _I answered. When we had finished our meal, while waiting to hear if the two mentioned anything Stargate related, we watched them leave. I checked my watch. "Should we head back? It's almost time for my mission briefing. Gotta check out P2X-006. Probably end up getting shot at, again. Why doesn't SGA-1 ever meet friendly natives? Do you have this problem too?"

"Yep. I think it's the 1. It tells all the upset villagers and psychotic wackos to look out for us." Mitchell replied. We stood and headed back to the alley to teleport out. Only, when we got there, the alley was occupied. We stepped into the shadows.

"We are FBI agents. You might want to consider that before you continue this." It was Mulder's voice. I rolled my eyes. Of all the people to get mugged, it had to be the conspiracy nut looking for aliens.

"If you don't hand over your valuables, the pretty lady ain't gonna live to see tomorrow." A rough voice grated out. There was a group of teenagers carrying weapons and looking serious. Gangs? Wow, I had been out of touch for a while. I'd gotten used to fighting Wraith, not kids. I looked over at Mitchell. Though reluctant to reveal ourselves, we couldn't stand by and watch some thugs kill people. We watched the gang circle the wary agents. I noted the guns and knives.

_Can you melt their weapons? _I was forming a plan. As long as I stuck to the shadows and Mitchell kept his hair too bright to see his face, we could get away with this. _And make sure the light's too bright for them to I.D. you._

_Got it. _He agreed. I moved silently to the other side of the alley. We were both trained in Special Ops. Punks never stood a chance. I grabbed the closest guy and slugged him as Mitchell's hair flared, blinding everyone who wasn't prepared for it. "Freeze!"

"What the…?" A gangster muttered. I took him out before he could move. I whirled and sent a stunner wave to catch two more. Mitchell pointed to the guns and they immediately began to glow with heat. Their owners quickly dropped them. He started to knock out people nearby using his fists. No need to break out the freaky alien powers when we could beat them with our military training. After a few minutes of breathless fighting we found that all the thugs were incapacitated. Mitchell put out the light. The sudden darkness helped to prevent the agents' eyes from adjusting and kept them from figuring out what was going on. As they struggled to see I took the opportunity to make a point.

"You know, if my friend and I hadn't come by, you'd be broke or dead. And we're pretty alien compared to you two. Attacked by humans and saved by aliens. How's that for irony? Maybe not all aliens are bad. Think on that, Mulder." My voice startled them. They stood gaping in my direction. I glanced at Mitchell. _Shall we?_

_After you. _We vanished, leaving two very dumbfounded FBI agents to figure out what the hell happened.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's that. I'm not sure how Mulder turned out. If you notice, neither of the X-Files people say much. I blame it on the fact they're in shock and I'm not too confident on how they're supposed to sound. I haven't watched X-Files as faithfully as I have SGA and SG-1. I thought it would be interesting to have them run into one another. If this is well liked, I may consider the possibility of them hunting down my two boys. But only if you think it has possibilities. And as for my next long chap, I should probably warn you. It'll be an introductory one again, but still in Shep's POV. I've got another crossover idea coming and it was getting too long to put both that and the action in one. On the other hand, I think I'll have another long chap after it detailing the action. And probably a mini-chap or two between them.


	6. Unexpected Visitors

A/N: Next long chap is up! Yay! This is an introductory chapter for a new temporary character in my universe. I would normally tell you what show this is a crossover with but I'm a bit nervous of giving too much away. So instead I'll give you this warning. Once you recognize the show, the story will contain a spoiler for the season two finale. That should be all. And the background is made up for the character, so don't think you missed something. If you can't recognize it, you DEFINITELY need to watch more TV. It's a great show. Tiny mention of Sam/Jack ship and an unspecified reference to past Shweir (seeing as she's still out in space… for now). Had to tell you or you'd be thinking, hey who's John talking about. Didn't want you to get the wrong idea. Nothing serious or even important. Just something to liven up Atlantis. Oh, and I just noticed that Ronon's name was wrong in Sang Real. Oops! And I didn't mention it, but I did change Kanaan's name to Kieran. Just thought I'd clarify. I didn't like the names Kanaan or Torren, so I've changed them both. My world, my rules. Please read on people!

**Unexpected Visitors**

"You seem quicker than usual." Ronon mentioned as I ducked out of the way of his flying hand. I inwardly winced. I'd tried to keep our sparring sessions the same, but I knew I was getting faster.

"Sorry." I forced out as I blocked another strike. I might have been faster, but my endurance was still where it was before I received Excalibur. I let his next punch land while rolling to keep the effect at a minimum. I landed on the mat with a thud. He wiped his hands on a towel and helped me up.

"Why would you be sorry?" He asked, confused. I struggled to come up with an answer. Finally I decided to tell him the truth.

"I am faster. Sol said it's because the Ancients had better neural connections, therefore my reflexes are better now that those genes are waking up again. Keller had a field day with my tests, but it feels like cheating so I'm trying to stay at normal speed while we spar. Didn't mean to speed up, so sorry." I reluctantly explained. Ronon considered me carefully.

"Stop holding back. I want to fight you at your best." He ordered gruffly. I raised an eyebrow as he dropped back into his fighting stance. He nodded at me and I stood there, waiting for him to attack. After a split second's hesitation, he started to attack. Like before, I could easily see the hits coming. It was a simple matter to turn my body slightly so they never connected. We continued this for several minutes and Ronon quickly upped the pace to battle mode. Finally, my speed failed to keep up with my faster reflexes and I felt Ronon's leg sweep out and knock my feet out from under me. I rolled and sprang back up, sweating heavily. Ronon smiled and backed off. "Doesn't seem like cheating to me. You're not any stronger or have higher endurance, just better reaction time. Still cool, though. Definitely give you an edge fighting Wraith."

"Oh. I figured you'd be upset that I can only do this because of who my parents are. I kinda feel like I'm losing myself." I wiped my face off. He shook his head.

"You may be a bit quicker and have cool superpowers, but you're still John Sheppard, no matter what anyone says. And any kind of advantage over your enemies is worth it. Plus, I still beat you." Ronon gave me a wolfish grin, reminding me of my staranian 'tutor.' I smiled, though inwardly smirked at the comparison.

"Yeah, there's that." I answered ruefully. We packed up our stuff and left, heading towards our respective quarters. When I got there, I immediately picked the sheathed Excalibur up off my bed. The now somewhat-familiar buzz of energy came rushing up my arm. I had found out earlier that the sword having my power in it made it capable of extraordinary things. Things like flying through the air and attacking people who hit me. Needless to say, I started leaving it in my quarters while I sparred with anyone. Not only would it freak out anyone who didn't know about it as it magically appeared and moved with no one holding it, but it could also hurt someone before I could grab it. I did not need to have Keller chewing me out for allowing sword wounds to join the variety she already experienced. As I thought of Keller I realized that I was supposed to report back to have yet more blood taken for both tests and for a steady supply. I had willingly given her several vials of blood a week since I found out it would heal a lot of wounds. I was planning to cut back once I figured out how to heal properly, but that was still a long way away. Evidently, I had forgotten a lot of anatomy since my school days and was now being forced to relearn everything before I could attempt to heal someone. From all indications, it would take quite a while before I was up to par. After I had put Excalibur in 'pen' mode, I made my way back to the infirmary.

"Hello, Col. Sheppard." Keller greeted me cheerfully. She glanced around before continuing. "Are you here to give blood again? You know, we only use small amounts, so we're probably set for now. You don't have to bleed yourself dry."

"Doc, if my blood can help you save lives, it's the least I can do. I'm not missing a couple of vials worth." I responded with a grin. My people would always come first, sword or no sword. Anyone who'd been in Atlantis for a month could tell you that. "How's the Major's father?"

"Lorne just reported he's going to be up and walking soon. And you couldn't have found a better way to tell him about yourself. He's so happy about what you did that it's leaning a bit to hero worship. You definitely found yourself a loyal 2IC there. He's willing to follow you to hell and back, as if he hadn't already shown that willingness." She smiled as talked. I nodded in relief. My blood was not a miracle drug and couldn't heal absolutely everything, but, as I had hoped when I gave it to him back on Earth, it looked as if it had worked on whatever Lorne's father had had. "Come on, hop up."

"Yes, ma'am." I smirked and did as she ordered. She worked quickly, filling two vials with my red (I'm Ancient not a Wraith, it's still a normal color) blood and patted me on my shoulder, not bothering to put a bandage on the site. I briefly concentrated and it healed. Unlike with other people, my body knew how it was supposed to be and it was a simple matter to tell it to heal. "Anything else?"

"Nope, not here. Why don't you go pester Sam for a bit? She needs someone to get her mind off of work until a certain general can come through and do it for her. Besides, I would've thought you'd be concerned about the IOA representative that's coming along for the ride. Those idiots are up to something. They just aren't going to rest until they put the entire galaxy in danger." She rolled her eyes. "I hear Woolsey's a real prick most of the time."

"He could try to take the position away from her. Probably wouldn't get very far." I replied. I felt dread fill me, but it was quickly replaced by anger. If those idiots tried anything like they had in the future, I was going to be very pissed.

"Trust me, the IOA can be very stubborn and moronic in its choices." She said regretfully. At my cold smile her eyes widened. "But then again, you could probably handle them."

"Yeah." I quietly assured her. I stood up. "Yeah, I could."

"It's good to know there's someone who understands what Atlantis needs and can make sure that no one screws up and gets us all killed." She nodded, her confidence bolstered. "Now, scat! I have real patients to attend to."

"You got it, Doc." I strolled out of there, thankful that my ability to heal meant both infrequent and shorter infirmary visits. I walked past several groups of both soldiers and scientists, my gait the usual lazy pace. When I reached the control room, I looked up at Carter's office and found her sitting in a chair, staring dejectedly into space. She checked her watch, most likely an unconscious reaction. She definitely needed a distraction. I quickly made my way up to the room and tapped against the glass. She waved me in. "Wow, someone looks excited."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sheppard." She refused to rise to the bait. I grinned.

"Really? That's the third time you've checked your watch in the last five minutes. You're looking forward to something? Got any dirty mail coming at our weekly check-in? Some candy you ordered five months ago? What could have you all atwitter? Could it be the people coming at our weekly check-in?" I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. A blind man, having spent two minutes around Col. Carter and Gen. O'Neill, would have told you without a doubt that they were madly in love and then ask when the wedding was.

"Maybe." She admitted. The same regulations that prevented the two from marrying also prevented them from even acknowledging a relationship. Stupid fraternization rules. I knew all to well what they could ruin.

"Yeah, I hear O'Neill's been prancing at the bit these days. Wouldn't want to miss his entrance." I teased. "Or maybe it was Woolsey you're looking for?"

"God, no. That man drives me nuts. I don't know why Jack is even letting him come. They already had our debriefing. Now they want a full analysis of the city and its people? Something's up and we, you especially, better be careful." Sam wrinkled her forehead in displeasure.

"I'm sure Rodney will impress him. Either that or kill him. Or get Ronon to." I joked and considered the scientist and Runner. "On second thought, I better assign a security detail to him. Don't want the all-important IOA idiot getting killed by our own people."

"Yes, I'm sure it would make his departure more pleasant if he's alive to enjoy it." She answered dryly. I chuckled. "I guess you could say I'm a bit curious as to why Gen. O'Neill is coming. He didn't choose to share that information with me. And I didn't get a chance to ask. Did Mitchell know?"

"Nope. At least he didn't say anything suspicious yesterday." I shrugged. I had spent several days the last few weeks back on Earth training with Sol and Mitchell. "What do you think it is?"

"I know what I wish it was." She closed her eyes wistfully. The strong-willed woman had been distant at first, a marked change from the warmth and tenderness of Elizabeth. Finally she trusted me enough to see her as a simple woman, not the leader she had to be.

"I understand." I said softly. She looked up and searched my face.

"I think you do." She answered, wonderingly. I bit back a wince at the emotions running rampant and sat down.

"But if you mention anything to Rodney, I'll tell him you have a crush on him. He'd never leave you alone again." I warned. She laughed.

"You have an excellent way of torturing someone. You know just where to strike." Her mood had lightened considerably. My mission was accomplished just in time as the gate began to spin.

"It's a skill. Look who's right on time." I followed her out into the control room. She stood by Chuck as he watched for an IDC.

"It's Earth, ma'am." He responded promptly. She nodded.

"Shield down. Let's welcome our guests." She ordered. I walked down the steps to greet the general. I came to a slightly-looser-than-regulation attention, due to O'Neill casual manner towards rules, and waited for them to exit the Stargate. Major Lorne came to attention at the other side of the gate room. The gate rippled and two forms came out. One was the prim-looking Woolsey, as cheerful as ever, wearing a three-piece suit and expensive shoes. The other, Jack O'Neill, was in complete contrast. He wore a true Hawaiian shirt, bright colors and all, jeans, and worn hiking boots. While we stared at the spectacle, Woolsey took the chance to speak.

"Hello, Col. Carter. I am here for my review of Atlantis and its personnel." He responded coolly, as if anyone actually cared about his appearance. After a brisk exchange between him and Carter, he stepped aside, allowing O'Neill to walk up.

"Guess what, Carter?" He raised his eyebrows and gestured to his attire. Carter's eyes shone.

"You actually did it! You're a civilian!" She said slowly. I added a smirk of my own. This was getting interesting.

"Not only am I a civilian, but, since our mutual friend the President pointed out that I have a strong ATA gene, I am your newest civilian advisor and human light switch." He answered proudly. Carter was smiling broadly. "He also asked me and I quote 'When the hell are you going to ask that girl out, Jack?' I figure you should always listen to the President, so how does tonight at 8:00 Atlantis time sound?"

"I'd love to." She responded instantly. Her acceptance was met by a condescending 'humph' from Woolsey and a collective whisper of 'It's about damn time' from the troops stationed in and around the Gate room, including myself and Maj. Lorne. "I'm sure Col. Sheppard would be honored to give you the official Atlantis resident's tour."

"Right this way, sir." I motioned for him and Maj. Lorne to follow me. He threw up his hands in protest.

"Ah! No 'sir,' Sheppard. Got that? I am no longer your superior. Thank God." He ordered. Lorne and I traded smiles. The easy-going ex-general was going to be a pleasant addition to Atlantis.

"Understood." I smirked at him as we walked up the steps.

"Good. So what part of the city are you gonna show me first? I'm thinking we take… Sheppard?!" He broke off suddenly as he nearly ran into my now still form. I heard, but didn't register his exact words. I was too preoccupied with the singing. Something was singing. I felt the start of a migraine and winced. As quick as it came it vanished. I snapped back to O'Neill and the rest of the gate room including Woolsey. "Sheppard? What's up? You spaced or something."

"I'm fine, sir. Didn't you hear that weird singing?" I asked, confused. Now everyone was staring at me like I was crazy. Suddenly I clutched my head in agony as a metaphorical ice pick started slamming into my skull. I grimaced and tried not to scream. Something was coming. I sensed and heard a weird ripping and shattering noise. With utter horror I realized what must be happening. My mind flew back to a particularly interesting chat/lesson with Sol.

* * *

"_So… why isn't Mitchell here?" I wondered out loud. Sol glanced over at me uneasily._

"_It was not pertinent that he know right now and I felt that it would be prudent for you to hear this alone. It may make you feel uncomfortable, and, if you are anything like your father, that would be embarrassing for you." He explained, sitting on my bed. I pulled up a chair. Now I felt a flicker of unease. Here came the bad news I'd been waiting for._

"_All right. What's the problem?" I sighed. Every good thing had to have downside and I was sure that I was about to find out this one._

"_It's not so much of a problem as a situation you need to be made aware of. You see, there exists a barrier between universes and realities to prevent crossing by errant daydreamers and invaders bent on conquering unsuspecting races. Usually it is guarded by serious safeguards placed by whoever is in charge of it at the time. For millions of years before the Ancients evolved, there was another race that kept up the barrier. They were very similar to the present-day Ascended and stuck to a strict non-interference rule. Unfortunately, much as with the Wraith war, they were overrun by hostile forces and eradicated. At that time it passed to the Ascended in this universe to keep up the barrier. But guardianship of the barrier passes to the ones most capable of defending it. And, with your acceptance of Excalibur, you became the one most capable. Guardianship has been given to you." He cleared his throat apologetically. "The rest of the Ascended are quite nervous that such a responsibility lies with you and you alone as it has normally rested on an entire race, but they are unable to do anything about this. And you are too unskilled and weak while your power is being reabsorbed into your body to be able to either lift or fortify the barrier consciously. The only problem would be if there were someone capable of penetrating the remaining safeguards set by the Ascended, either intentionally or accidentally."_

"_What happens then?" I questioned, concerned. This was sounding dangerous. Something could get through without me being able to do anything about it._

"_You must immediately call me if you feel something foreign entering our universe or another one. I will be able to summon both the Ascended and Staranian Councils in an attempt to patch the breach. As you still retain your human form, you must be quick before your immune system is permanently compromised. It will react to the foreign body in our universe as it would a serious virus. In fact, I would call anyone capable of helping, including Mitchell if this happens." He impressed upon me the seriousness of the situation. I nodded grimly. Right, get help before universes collapse. Got it._

"_How likely is it this could happen?" I asked cautiously. He finally lightened._

"_That is the good news. Due to the restricted nature of the safeguards in the past, many creatures will not realize the barrier has changed hands. The only thing should be accidents and most ships capable of breaking through the barrier are too advanced to make such mistakes." Sol's words calmed me. It sounded like this was merely a worst-case scenario. Of course, in the Pegasus galaxy, that probably meant it was going to happen sooner or later._

* * *

"Damn it! I should have realized there's no such thing as luck in my world. Sol! Mitchell!" I yelled out to everyone's vast surprise. I broadcast the call telepathically as well. The others were gathered around me, trying to see what was wrong. Two flashes of light brought forth my staranian teacher and half-staranian fellow student. My control weakened and I let out a restrained groan. I felt my vision start to gray. When I began to sway, several sets of hands came from around me to lower me to the floor. I managed one word before the blackness took me. "BARRIER!"

* * *

"What is going on?" I muttered under my breath. Everything had been going fine. General O'Neill was now Mr. O'Neill and Woolsey was still a pain in the ass, but everything was as normal as Pegasus got. That peace lasted just until Col. Sheppard zoned for a few seconds. One minute he's laughing, one he's zoning and wincing with what looked like a headache, and the next thing you know he's on his knees, cussing and calling out for his dog. Of course, I was one of the only ones who knew that his dog was actually an alien and it was teaching him to be Ancient or something like that. When Sol and Col. Mitchell suddenly appeared I stared at them in shock.

"BARRIER!" Sheppard screamed. I, as militarily trained as I was, nearly jumped out of my skin at the hoarse shriek. Sol seemed to instantly know what was wrong. Due to the apparent seriousness he immediately broke the no-speaking rule. Which had almost every one who hadn't been shocked or disturbed by his appearance freaking out.

"Oh no. Mitchell stay here and be ready for anything that comes. I've got to tell Kibetan!" Sol vanished again, leaving a confused Col. Mitchell behind. After he registered the order, his hair, much like it had been when I first met him, burst into furious flames. He glanced over.

"Lorne, what happened?" Mitchell asked. I shrugged.

"He just started screaming, sir. Well he did ask about singing first, but it just looked like a headache. Don't you know?" I answered, slightly concerned. Col. Sheppard had given me some of his blood which saved my dad's life. He had been terminally ill with cancer and two drops of souped-up Sheppard blood later he was fine. I owed my CO a lot. More than I could ever repay. Mitchell shook his head, causing the flames to flare brightly. I could almost hear Woolsey stammering in the background, but before I could reassure him or my fellow Marines, a strange grinding, scraping sound filled the gate room. A burst of cold air followed. Then the noise centered in the middle of the gate room and grew louder. A flashing strobe light appeared over ten feet in the air. With each pulse a blue box seemed to fade in underneath it. When it finally appeared solid, it was floating five feet in the air. The grinding noise stopped and the box plummeted to the floor. It came to rest with a thick thud. Everyone stared and Mitchell tensed. The doors opened and a man came stumbling out. His brown hair was tousled and his clothes looked singed. His unfocused eyes gazed around the room and finally came to rest on Col. Mitchell's hair. His brow furrowed.

"What?!" He managed to slur out in a British-sounding accent before crumpling to the ground. My mouth opened in shock and Mitchell's hair flickered in confusion. He didn't look like he could manage to kill a fly right now. A sudden burst of light had us all blinking wildly.

"John?!" A woman dressed in Ancient clothing appeared and rushed to his side. She was accompanied by a brown-haired man. I stared at him. If Sheppard ever decided to dye his hair brown, I figured it would look exactly like this guy's. These newcomers had to be his Ascended parents. A particularly brave lieutenant walked up to the pair warningly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you need to back away from Col. Sheppard. Now." His eyes never left the two. I saw the man, who Sol had mentioned was named Kibetan, draw himself up and step in between his son and the gun. His eyes flashed. The kid definitely had guts.

"At ease, Lieutenant! Don't shoot." I ordered. "They have every right to be here and trust me, we probably need them."

"Sir?" He looked at me, dividing his attention. I sighed.

"They're his parents. It's fine." I announced. Everyone, not counting those who had known beforehand, reeled in shock. "And before anyone asks, yes, they're Ascended Ancients. Loooong story. It'll have to wait."

"Is he the one that came through?" Kibetan asked Mitchell, pointing at the man and his blue box. I looked closer and I noticed that the words 'Public Police Call Box' were at the top. What type of thing was that? It sounded like something from the sixties.

"Yeah, he came stumbling out of that box like a drunk man." Mitchell reported. After a second's thought he added. "Sir."

"Very well. Lamara, take John to the infirmary. Get some antibiotics in him. His immune system's going to be shot and he'll need some medical treatment to bolster him up while you heal him. I'll take the intruder. He may also need medical attention and I don't want you and John alone with him." Kibetan spoke with authority.

"Of course, Kian." She and Col. Sheppard vanished in a blue light. Kibetan looked back at Mitchell.

"Follow them there, please. Protect my family." He sounded exactly like Sheppard. Always thinking of others. Mitchell disappeared without a word. "Maj. Lorne, can I have your assistance with the intruder? Your weapons may prove useful against him and I may be called away at any time."

"Yes, sir." I answered briskly. I broke into movement, going to stand by them. I felt a sudden surge, then my surroundings blurred and changed, leaving Col. Carter and O'Neill to explain the situation to a dozen stunned Marines and an angry Woolsey. I was sure that everyone in Atlantis would be aware of our commanding officer's heritage and Mitchell's new DNA before breakfast tomorrow. So much for secrets. We arrived at our destination, an isolated portion of the infirmary. In the distance I could see Dr. Keller hovering over the Col.'s still body, but I kept both eyes on our prisoner. "What's going on?"

"The barrier between worlds and realities has been breached by that ship. As our son, John is connected to the barrier. He's supposed to be able to hold against such intrusion, but he is not at full strength and is still untrained. However, I believe that this was an accident. This is not an invading force and I can almost sense something familiar about this intruder. Almost like a memory of a memory." Kibetan glanced down. "I am still concerned about my son right now. His immune system is extremely weak while the barrier is broken. We must seal it again before he dies. Though, if we do, this man will be stuck here until John can learn to regulate the barrier on his own. And that may take over a year. If he is an ally, then we must send him back before we can do so."

"Then do it." An accented whisper ordered. I raised my P-90. The intruder had opened his eyes blearily. "Seal the barrier. I'll be fine."

"Are you positive?" Kibetan asked warily. The strange man nodded and fell back into unconsciousness. "Very well. Will you watch him while I see to the barrier?"

"Of course." I replied promptly. This man wasn't going anywhere. Not if I had anything to say about it. Then again, seeing as he was currently a little out of it, it wouldn't be too difficult. Kibetan teleported away.

"So what kind of alien is he?" The man asked nonchalantly as soon as he was gone. I stared. He'd been faking! He propped himself up on the infirmary bed.

"How'd you fake out an Ascended?" I was amazed. No, they weren't omniscient, but they did usually notice that kind of thing. I glanced over at the hustle and bustle behind the privacy screen that sheltered Col. Sheppard. "And that's the answer to your question by the way. He's an Ascended Ancient. Very powerful. And your little trip to our universe is threatening his only son's health."

"I'm sorry. The TARDIS just got turned around or something. She's a bit old. Almost as old as me." He really did look sorry. I relented. The guy seemed trustworthy.

"What do you mean? This place still works ten thousand years after Kibetan's race built it. We just moved in recently. And how old could you be? You look about thirty." I gestured at the décor. He smiled.

"Oh, you could say I'm a tad older than that. I'm over nine hundred years old or so." He chuckled weakly, then sat up. I noticed a frown. "And our TARDISes are alive and have a finite amount of life. Unlike this city."

"Hey, you want me to get you some aspirin? I'm sure we have some Tylenol around here somewhere." I offered. To my surprise he shook his head violently.

"No!" He nearly shouted in panic. At my startled look he explained. "I'm a Time Lord and we have very different body chemistry than humans. It involves having two hearts, a respiratory bypass system, and a fatal allergy to a lot of the drugs you probably have right now. So unless you decide to execute me, I don't think you want to give me any aspirin. One tablet could kill me."

"Wow. That's serious. And now I know McKay isn't faking his allergy to lemon 'cause he sounds just like you when we mention it." I nodded in understanding. "So what's your name?"

"The Doctor." He answered succinctly. I waited for a second, then realized that was all he was going to say.

"That's it? No actual name? I mean, come on, the Doctor? Doctor who?" I questioned. He sighed.

"It's just the Doctor. Why do humans always ask the same questions every single time?" He shook his head. "And I don't really need a name. I'm the Doctor and I can fix anything. At least in my own universe I can."

"Are you related to Doctor McKay?" I joked. But his calm confidence and wide smiles were much different than the egotistical McKay. This man actually seemed nice. And he was giving up a year of his life to save my CO. That alone put him in good standing… with me at least. I looked up as more people came rushing in. A very pregnant Teyla was being carried by Ronon. "What happened?!"

"I told her about Sheppard and the shock sent her into labor." He grunted out as he placed her down on a bed. A frazzled Dr. Keller walked over and, after a quick check, she nodded in relief.

"She is in labor, but she was due any day so we aren't facing a premature birth. All that's happened is it bumped up the time schedule a bit." She explained. "Nothing I can do for now. It'll take a few hours yet. How about my newest charge?"

"Who?" The Doctor glanced around and then down at himself. He flushed in realization. "Oh! You mean me. I'm fine. Slight concussion, maybe a cracked rib from the bad landing, but I'll be good as new in a few hours. I have an advanced healing rate."

"Really?" Dr. Keller seemed intrigued. "How advanced?"

"Well it's lasted him over 900 years so I'd say pretty advanced." I spoke up. Keller's eyes widened. Soon they were discussing the Doctor's allergies and life span in detail. I watched in fascination as they talked back and forth for over ten minutes.

"Hey Doc?" I interrupted. Both of them turned to look at me expectantly. "How's Sheppard?"

"Lamara's keeping his body healed, but his immune system isn't bouncing back like it should. And it won't until they seal the break in that stupid barrier." She muttered a vague obscenity at barriers in general. I raised my eyebrows. The normally soft-spoken doctor was obviously very upset by the situation.

"I said I was sorry and it was an accident." The Doctor defended himself. Keller shrugged.

"No one's blaming you for something you couldn't control." She comforted him. "I better go check on him. You look like you could use a breather. Wanna come meet the man who all this fuss is about?"

"Why not? Might as well, if this soldier here will let me." He pointed to me and grimaced, while I resisted the Sheppard-like temptation to roll my eyes.

"My name is Maj. Lorne. And what do you have against soldiers?" I asked, slightly offended. I did help him up and we walked towards to the center of all the activity.

"Oh, it's nothing personal. I just don't like people who carry guns. Or kill people with them." The Doctor answered pertly. He was obviously feeling better.

"Well, when you have a galaxy full of Wraith trying to drain your life with their hands, you kinda learn to keep a weapon handy. If only to get killed fighting instead of as dinner." Sheppard's weak voice called out. I snapped to attention.

"Sir! How are you feeling?" I watched as he struggled to sit up but not dislodge Lamara's glowing hands. One of the nurses finally gave in and raised the bed some. Lamara shifted, but did not stop what she was doing. Sheppard was still extremely pale. Obviously the barrier was still down. Where had Kibetan gone? Almost as if he'd heard me, another flash went off and left the brown-haired man in our midst.

"What's he doing up?!" He demanded, almost glaring at the Doctor. I sighed and ducked my head. So that's where Sheppard got his glare. Jeez, it felt like Kibetan was staring him down. The Time Lord wisely raised his hands and backed up.

"Col. Sheppard, Lord Kibetan, this is the Doctor. No name, just the Doctor. He calls himself a Time Lord." I introduced them. I doubted the title or species meant anything, as he was from another universe apparently, but Kibetan's eyes immediately widened.

"That's impossible. The Time Lords are gone." His voice was quiet, but his tone was soft. The Doctor looked down and nodded. When he pulled his head back up, his eyes were somber, almost heartbroken.

"I know." He whispered, voice nearly breaking. My eyes flickered from the two figures. At least the name Time Lord had calmed Kibetan down. Now, he was a mix of dull panic over his son and a badly hidden awe at the alien in front of him. Evidently the Doctor's people had earned the name Time Lords. "I'm the last. I'm alone."

"I'm sorry." Kibetan bowed his head and then turned back to Lamara. He continued gently. "Mara? I'm back. We have to help the others repair the barrier."

"I can't Kian. John will die without someone holding back diseases. He's too weak." She insisted, concentration never wavering.

"We need the entire council to raise it, especially us, Mara. An entire race to guard the barrier when it turns to one man." He reported sadly. They couldn't leave and they couldn't stay. The infirmary grew quiet. Suddenly Sheppard's eyes widened.

"That's it! You said the entire council, right?" At their confirmation he continued. "Chaya! She's been exiled, but she's still an Ancient. Give her permission to heal me and you two can fix the barrier."

"Healing requires intense knowledge of one, especially you, son. With your power, it is unwise for others to heal you. We are of your blood and have known you since childhood. Chaya does not know you well enough." Kibetan replied firmly. Sheppard chuckled instead.

"I guess you couldn't watch too close back then, especially when there's an exile living on the planet I'm going to. She knows me pretty well." He informed him dryly. A sudden, whiny voice made me start. I hadn't even noticed Dr. McKay from where I was. And when had McKay become able to keep his mouth shut for more than two minutes?

"Oh, don't tell me it's going to work just because you had glowy sex with her!" Dr. McKay complained loudly. As usual. How does Col. Sheppard not shoot him, I wondered for the thousandth time. Col. Sheppard flushed and Lamara began to speak, but it was Carter who voiced Lamara's question.

"What? Glowy sex?! What is that?" She asked, flabbergasted. Suddenly realization dawned over her face and her face got bright red. It wasn't, however, from embarrassment. She was straining not to burst out laughing. "Sharing! You mean sharing! Rodney, sharing is NOT glowy sex!"

"How would you know? Sheppard's the only one here… wait, how did you know what I was talking about?" Now McKay's eyebrows rose in confusion. Col. Sheppard looked like he wanted to fade back into the bed and disappear. The now Mr. O'Neill snickered in delight.

"Orlin." He used the name as an explanation and a question. Orlin had been exiled to a planet in the Milky Way for giving weapons to un-Ascended. They had destroyed themselves. SG-1 had encountered him and he'd ended up saving their butts when they tampered with a weapon that was too destructive to control. Then he showed up as a kid and saved the Earth by helping us find a cure to the Ori plague. Everyone here had had a chance to either read the report or meet him.

"Yep. When he first met me, he was trying to share, but it knocked me out. Then later, once all of your cameras were gone, he came back to my house. He wanted to see if sharing would work. And I repeat, sharing is NOT glowy sex!" Carter blushed in indignation. Sheppard nodded.

"I told Rodney it wasn't like that. It's pretty intense, isn't it?" He seemed relieved that someone finally understood. I knew he'd been teased mercilessly about the 'glowy sex' as McKay had dubbed it. Evidently we were all wrong.

"Yes, Col. Rodney, it's merely a sharing of your spirit. Kind of like what you believe and who you are. It's a way to get to know friends better. And it does leave you with a good knowledge of the type of person the one you share with is. Will it work?" She asked, hopeful. Lamara smiled.

"It should. And, Kian, we've been meaning to bring up the conditions of her exile anyway. Can't we just grant her a reward for helping us?" Lamara's eyes never left John's as she talked.

"Perfect." He closed his eyes and another flash went off. At this rate, we were all going to go blind from random flashes. Then the light cleared to reveal the alien priestess from our first year. She looked exactly the same. At the sight of Kibetan she knelt.

"My lord, why have you called me? I haven't broken my exile." Her voice betrayed the fear she felt at leaving her people. Kibetan bent and pulled her up by an elbow.

"At ease, Chaya. Just because you were exiled by the council, I don't expect you to kneel to me. My wife and I need your help. My son needs your help." Kibetan smiled. Chaya's brow furrowed, then she stepped back.

"You've had a son? How? Who?" She asked quickly. I guess she was out of the loop when it came to current events in Ascended life. I, oh so helpfully, pointed at Col. Sheppard. She turned, jaw dropping.

"John?" She managed to utter. "John's the Sang Real? I'd heard rumors, but I never guessed it was him."

"How you been, Chaya? Obliterate any Wraith lately?" Sheppard had perked up considerably. Though he still sounded like he had just fought that super-Wraith that had attacked and nearly killed him and Rodney after Gaul killed himself.

"How? I should have sensed something." She frowned.

"We deactivated most of his Ancient DNA and separated him from his power by putting it in Excalibur to prevent the others or the Ori from finding out. He just found out less than a month ago." Lamara was still healing. "And he's supposed to guard the barrier. The one that the Doctor accidentally broke when his ship made a side trip. We need someone capable of healing John continuously as his immune system is nonexistent while the barrier is down and we must help the Council seal it again. Will you help?"

"I'd be willing to offer you the chance to visit the Ascended plane once again. You would still be bound to protect your world alone, but you would be able to see your friends and family again." Kibetan added. Chaya smiled.

"Kibetan, I know you are merely using that as an incentive to help me out. I really don't know how I missed the similarities between you and John. Thank you." She took a chair opposite of Lamara, forcing Mitchell to shift his stance, and started healing. Lamara stood slowly and Kibetan helped her with an anxious hand on her elbow. They teleported out. "Oh, and what's your name staranian?"

"Ma'am?" Mitchell turned to her. "Name's Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, but I'm only half-staranian. I got my DNA mutated by staranian blood."

"That is unusual. I was not aware that staranian blood had that capability." She calmly stated. He shrugged.

"Neither were the staranians. Everyone kinda expected me to collapse screaming. I didn't. I think it's my healthy lifestyle." He joked. Sheppard chuckled.

"Yeah, 'cause getting shot at all the time is great for your health." The Colonel chipped in. McKay snorted.

"Pot calls kettle black." McKay pointed out. I failed to hold back a snicker. I was forced to admit that it was SGA-1 who got hurt the most. At least in the Pegasus galaxy.

"Lorne? Hadn't you better go see to the Doctor's ship? Make sure the Marines don't lose it now." Col. Sheppard ordered. He was a little ticked at the betrayal. I straightened and nodded.

"Yes, sir. I'll take care of it. Hope you feel better soon." I turned to leave. With Ascended popping in and out at random times, Atlantis was going to be a very interesting place to be for now.

* * *

"Why'd you send him away, John?" Chaya asked me. I looked at her wearily. The headache, despite the constant healing, had not gone away. I made sure to act as if nothing was wrong, but it would not stop. And it was definitely getting on my nerves.

"Well, he didn't have to laugh." I pouted and then grinned. "It'll teach him respect. What's up with Teyla?"

"Her baby is coming. The shock has driven her to labor, but everything looks normal." Keller reported. "It won't be long. It seems that Athosians have shorter labors than humans. Maybe a defensive mechanism in a galaxy where sitting in one place for a whole day having a kid could mean you are taken by the Wraith."

"So she's good?" I asked again to verify. She sighed.

"Yes, Col., she'll be fine. How long do you think it'll take the Ascended to fix the barrier?" She glanced at Chaya. Chaya shrugged.

"It will take as long as it takes. No more or less." The Ascended was extremely stoical when the need arose. And she was right. Two hours after I had collapsed I felt the change. Like a sudden weight off my chest. Instead of the bone deep weariness and piercing headaches there was only warmth and peace. I grinned, almost giddy.

"Hey, that feels good." I noted the slight slur in my voice. As did Keller.

"Colonel? You okay?" Keller grabbed her trusty penlight. I knew the annoying flashing lights were coming and, try as I may, I couldn't stop grinning. She was quick and I was still blinking as she continued. "How are you feeling, Col.? I need some info here."

"I feel great. Like the Pink Floyd drugs and the Wraith restoring my life all in one. It's fun." I informed her, absolutely thrilled at nothing. She frowned and glanced at Chaya. The Ascended stopped healing and put her hands down. Then she giggled.

"I believe the barrier is restored. Just as its damage hurt Sheppard, I think the repair fixed him. And with all the chemicals I've been trying to keep in balance, it may have overshot several of his hormone levels. Most notably his endorphins." Chaya explained. I waved at her and everyone. "He must be really happy right now."

"Oh, I am, Chaya. I'm on top of the world. Huh, you think Carter'll let me take a jumper up like this? I bet it'd be fun." I wondered. Everyone exchanged worried glances.

"Right, Col., we're all going to let you fly something when you look like you're on some serious drugs. Like morphine. There may be a large number of idiots on Atlantis, but we're not all that stupid." McKay answered finally. I frowned for a split second, then smiled again.

"Oh well, it was worth a try." I relaxed.

"How long is this going to last? He's loopy." McKay pestered. Chaya stood.

"It should not take long for the chemicals to right themselves." She answered. I leaned back, grinning broadly. Why were they so worried, I wondered. This was really fun. Kinda like flying. I drifted along until I finally fell asleep. It felt like only a few minutes before I sat back up, blinking slowly. The giddiness was gone, but there didn't seem to be any side effects.

"Col. Sheppard? Are you up?" Teyla asked anxiously. She sounded like she was in pain.

"Teyla. You okay?" I responded. The only thing I heard was a low moan. I swung my legs over and walked around the privacy curtain. My jaw dropped. Keller, Kieran, Ronon, and Carter were all positioned around Teyla. Rodney was pacing near the door. "Is the baby coming?"

"No, Sheppard, she's in mortal agony and we're doing nothing. It can't possibly be the baby. Shouldn't you give her morphine? Or some drugs?" McKay's worried voice rambled. I relaxed. If Rodney was that panicked, everything had to be okay.

"No, Rodney, Teyla does not wish us to interfere. And the labor is almost over anyway. She just wants those closest to her to be nearby. How are you feeling, Col.?" Keller sighed in exasperation. "Still floating?"

"No, I'm fine." I flushed. I remembered all of the crazy things I said and couldn't for the life of me figure out what had possessed me to say such things. It was like having no control and that's something I will never like. It was one reason I hated having pain meds. "Not even any side effects. How you doing, Teyla?"

"I believe it looks worse than it is." She panted out between contractions. I winced.

"Still pretty bad then, huh?" I joked lightly. She let a small smile slip through, then clutched Kieran's hand as another contraction came. Keller moved slightly, and it wasn't ten minutes later that loud cries filled the infirmary. "Hey, he's here!"

"No! You think, Col.?" McKay snapped out sarcastically. I rolled my eyes as Keller handed the healthy boy to his mother. Teyla beamed.

"He's beautiful." Carter offered and I nodded in agreement.

"I know." Teyla answered. A sudden movement at the corner of my eye startled me. It was the Doctor.

"What will you name him?" The alien man steps up to our circle of people. I look him over carefully.

"I believe he will be named Aiden in memory of Lieutenant Ford. So he will know that he is honored here still. As for a middle name…" Here she pauses and checks Kieran for confirmation. I note the reluctant nod. She continues. "… we have decided to make his middle name John. As a sign of respect for you, Col. Sheppard. For the one who helped us find a home after the Wraith destroyed Athos."

"I'm shocked. I never expected you to do this." I stuttered out. She named her kid after me? Just a middle name, but come on! That was a really big deal. I suddenly realize something and turn to face the Doctor. "Speaking of names, yours is not just the Doctor. What is it really?"

"That's all you need to know. Trust me." He replied grimly. I frowned and, out of pure instinct, groped for an answer. My mind instantly translated that desire into fact. "What are you doing? Stop!"

"Your name is…" I began to speak in confusion. He nearly fell over himself to put his hand over my mouth.

"Idiot! I don't know if being in another universe changes things or not, but you can not say that name. Don't even whisper it. It's too dangerous." His voice was livid and his eyes were cold but scared. I jerked away.

"Why?" I demanded, resisting the urge to blast him back. No one got that close to me without my permission. Not if they wanted to live. Something in his eyes stopped me though. The cold fear and fury melted into sorrow. The same sorrow I had seen when he had told Kibetan that he knew the Time Lords were gone and that he was the last. He looked at the others. I realized his reluctance to speak in front of an audience and glanced at Carter and Teyla for permission.

"Go, I'll be fine." Teyla promised. Carter nodded in agreement. I took his arm and led him to Keller's empty office. I motioned to him to sit while I remained standing.

"Tell me. Now." I ordered. He thought a second.

"You have to understand that the only reason you are hearing this is, from what I can tell, you're the new Guardian of the Barrier. And my people, the Time Lords are -were- the original Guardians. They made the barrier." He started slowly. I raised my eyebrows. No wonder Kibetan had acted with such respect when he learned of this man's identity. This man's race was a formidable people. He continued. "There was an Academy on a planet called Gallifrey in my universe. Upon graduation, Gallifreyans were called Time Lords and given their name. I graduated with honors. I got my name, I found a family. Then, I ran away. From everything. They labeled me an outcast and struck my name from time."

"That's it? But I still know it." I argued. He shook his head slowly.

"No. You see, the reason I was forced into exile was that our race, much like I believe your Ancients are now, were non-interventional. No matter how serious, unless it risked damage to the time vortex or Gallifrey, they would not interfere. I couldn't live like that. I stole my TARDIS and fled. I bounce around, living life not hiding behind technology. And, since danger always seems to follow me, I helped when I could. I won't lie, I made things worse. The Daleks found out about Time Lords. Daleks are evil. I don't know about your Wraith, but Daleks are worse. They believe that they are superior and kill everyone who isn't them. Through my interactions with them, they figured that Time Lords were too dangerous an enemy. They attacked. Somehow, they developed time vortex technology. It led to war. But not just any war, it was a Time War." He said bitterly. My eyes involuntarily widened. I had woken the Wraith; this man accidentally sparked a war throughout time itself. I could barely wrap my head around time travel, much less around a Time War. "It was terrible. I was called back. They needed everyone who could fight. The Time Lords, who never raised a finger out of fear of corrupting time, were not a people who should be threatened. So many races, so many planets got caught in the crossfire. Every time we won a few battles, the Daleks adapted and created more soldiers. They were mutants in robot casings and had no need for fear. They had deleted all their emotions. All except pride and a deep feeling of superiority. They made it to Arcadia, our last line of defense. I stopped them."

"How?" I asked quietly. I was quickly coming to realize the reason for his sorrow.

"Time Lords had long ago, at a time when Ancients were mere amoeba on the scale of evolution in this universe, mastered black holes. There's even a piece of one inside my TARDIS, providing a link to the time vortex. We could control gravity, time, and energy like you would light switches. We even used a full black hole to run our planetary defenses and energy requirements. The Daleks were on our figurative doorsteps. This was the last chance." He spat out a dry, short laugh. "I unleashed the entire might of The Eye of Orion, our black hole and power source. The restrained might of a super-black hole suddenly free. It destroyed everything. My planet burned. My people screamed and, as we are telepathic, I heard every one of them. I am the destroyer of my own race. But I got the Daleks. Though, sometimes I wonder if it was worth it. They just keep coming back. So I stop them. Again and again."

"I'm sorry." We sat in silence for a few minutes as I worked up the courage to ask. "Why is your name still forbidden?"

"I did that. I knew that any Daleks that managed to escape the destruction would try to prevent it. They had the ability to enter the time vortex, just as I did. So I locked the war. The entire Time War is time-locked with my name. No one can enter any of the events, not without going insane or being destroyed. I needed a word that no one knew, that no one would ever think to use. I used my name." He looked weary, drained. I finally sat down across from him. "Fitting punishment, I suppose. The only people who knew it died by my hand and they had long ago stripped it from use. Everyone knew me as the Doctor, even them. And now? Now it would destroy everything if it was whispered. The name of a man who committed genocide locks the event in place. My name can never be uttered by anyone. I am the nameless one. I am the Doctor."

"Good God." I lowered my head. Waking the Wraith was nothing compared to this. I couldn't fathom what he must feel. "How do you keep going?"

"It's hard. So very hard. I nearly gave up. Then I met this human girl. I had traveled with companions before; it made the loneliness of exile fade for a while. But she… she saved me. She showed me the joy of living again. She understood me and she accepted me. I loved her." He admitted. But his voice was still broken and I sensed that that wasn't the end of the story. "She was taken from me. I had traveled with her to this parallel universe through one of the cracks in the barrier. We had seen it, affected it. The Daleks made a void ship. They built a ship especially made to exist in the void between universes until it could break free. It used the crack and shattered the barrier. I had to seal it up. And Rose got trapped on the parallel universe. I lost her. Now… I just drift."

"Well, your in our universe now. And there aren't any Daleks here. We have Wraith or, as I like to call them, evil life-sucking vampires. They're pretty bad, but we're holding our own. And we all have demons. Maybe not as bad as yours seem now, but we all have them. And I just found out that parents are Ancients less than a month ago. They don't even understand how they had me when they were Ascended. But, as soon as I can, I'll send you back. There are certain people who manage to alter events in a vital way. I've seen what our future looks like if I'm not here. I have a strong feeling that you're that person for your universe." I fingered pen-Excalibur in my pocket as I spoke. "Someone who, without them, the future dies. Trust me, Doctor, you don't want to see that. I'll send you back. I promise."

"You are a good man. A soldier, a man who uses guns, but a good man. I believe you." The Doctor's gaze met my own at last. We stood simultaneously. "Thank you."

"Just try not to make a habit of it." I smirked, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked. The Time Lord gave off a wide smile, one that still managed to convey the burden he carried. I sighed. "Well, back to life."

"Yep. Where are we anyway?" He looked around at the non-Earthlike architecture. "It's not Earth."

"Pegasus galaxy. Atlantis." At his shocked look, I defined the terms. "In our universe, Atlantis is the abandoned home of the Ancients. They used these portals we call Stargates to travel around and we found ours and figured out how to get here. Now Earth's countries covertly work together and fund this expedition. It's got people from all over. Doctor Rodney McKay's our resident head geek and he's Canadian. He actually likes hockey better than football." I scoffed at the idea, my voice leaving no room for misinterpretation of how I felt about this fact. "I'm American. U.S. Air Force. I'm the military commander of the base. Guess you could also call me the last Ancient in existence, but, before you showed up, no one really knew except my team, my boss, Doctor Keller, and my 2IC, Major Evan Lorne. At least here in Atlantis. Though technically O'Neill would be in that category too now. Mitchell, the one with fiery hair, is from Earth's Stargate program. He's got his own story. I think you've already had a chance to talk to Maj. Lorne, though. He's the one taking care of your ship and getting it out of our gate room."

"For the first time in, oh, ages, I'm finally learning about people and technology that are totally new. This is brilliant." He was checking out the various machines and some Ancient inscriptions. "You'll have to get someone to teach me this. The TARDIS can't translate it because I don't know it."

"How many languages do you know?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Almost all of them. About five million or so. When you're nine hundred years old, you pick up a lot of things." He sounded nonchalant. I inwardly gaped. "There are a couple of 'em I don't know. Like these in your universe like Ancient. But even in my universe there's an Earth and they speak English, so I can communicate with you. Thankfully."

"Yeah. If you'd come out spouting some dialect of the Mayans or Egyptians we'd have had to send out to Earth to get Daniel Jackson or a linguist. Sol still hasn't taught us how to translate yet." I joked.

"Oh, I'm smart, I'd have figured it out." He brushed it off. I mock-winced.

"Are you related to a McKay branch by any chance?" I cocked my head.

"You know, Maj. Lorne kept telling me I need to meet this McKay character. What's so special about him?" He asked innocently. I nearly choked as I tried not to laugh. I could just see McKay's face at that last statement.

"McKay is our resident genius, though you shouldn't tell him that. He has an ego that would kill a normal human. But McKay is anything but normal." I explained wryly. The Time Lord's eyes widened in understanding and smiled. We continued over to where the others were waiting.

"Well?" McKay demanded. I pretended to think a bit. "Colonel!"

"Relax, Rodney. He can stay if he wants. And you have my permission to ask about his tech. But only touch something or look at something if he says it's OK, got it? No explosions." I ordered sternly. He flushed.

"Sheppard, I don't always make explosions. That's your job." He protested. I raised my eyebrows and waited. "Well, true, there are a large number of incidents where I may have triggered an accidental overload, but it was purely because of you insisting we rush into things."

"Have you figured out how to work a chameleon circuit? They're excellent for hiding things in plain sight and don't require much power at all. My ship has one. 'Course it got stuck as a police box when I was in the '60s once. The form grew on me and I haven't bothered to fix it yet." The Doctor focused in on McKay. Geeks always could attract each other.

"You've perfected time travel?" Now McKay sounded intrigued. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I am a Time Lord. It would look bad if I really couldn't time travel." He pointed out. I chuckled and McKay shot a glare at me. I just grinned. Now this was going to be an interesting year.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know, it's Doctor Who. Big surprise. A number of people have already done this, but there are always companions and some have put the Ancients and the Time Lords as the same race. I couldn't see that, sorry. The two are similar in the fact that they believe in non-interference, but that's it. Too many irreconcilable differences. So he came in from his universe for a year of my universe's time. 'Course when Sheppard learns control of the barrier, he could always go visit. And I definitely thought that sharing was not glowy sex. Figured it would be cool to show the similar experience between Sam and Sheppard. I'm all about finding connections. Next will be a mini-chap with an angry Sheppard.


	7. Birthright

A/N: So, I'm back to mini chaps again. I really wanted to show the angry, protective John, so this came about. And it makes sure that Woolsey's ego is deflated and we no longer need fear him taking command. Run away, Woolsey. Run for your life!

**Birthright**

"Why are we having this meeting again?" I propped my elbows up on the conference room table. Col. Carter, Mr. O'Neill, Rodney, Dr. Keller, Mr. Woolsey, and I were all evenly spaced around the table. "Is it about the Doctor?"

"No. We're still discussing the possible ramifications of harboring an unknown alien in Atlantis. I'm still arguing the benefits of trading information and technology with him. But I'm not the one who called this meeting." Carter answered. She glanced over at Mr. Woolsey. My thoughts grew suspicious and uneasy. Surely he wasn't going to try it now? I frowned as cold dread seemed to fill my mind. If Woolsey was anything like what O'Neill and Carter had mentioned, it definitely was. I was so preoccupied that I didn't notice everyone start to shiver.

"I was the one who called the meeting." Woolsey confirmed. He pulled his jacket closer around him. My frown deepened. I knew it was possible, but I had changed it. Hadn't I? "I am sorry to do this, but the IOA is insisting and…"

"No." I interrupted him. His mouth hung open in shock, resembling most of the others' reactions. I shook my head slowly. "I know what you're about to say and I'm telling you right now, no."

"Col. Sheppard! I am a representative of the IOA. I will not be cut off so rudely. And how, pray tell, do you presume to know the IOA's business?" Woolsey was clearly flustered by my change in attitude. But I knew what he was going to try to do. And I knew that I could never let that happen. I leaned back in my chair, analyzing the prim man.

"Haven't you read my report? Surely they gave it to you after our debrief not so long ago. Don't you know where I've been? I've seen the future. I heard what happened. And no, you will not take over command of Atlantis. Carter will not be given the newest ship off the assembly line. She's going to stay right here and lead us properly. If she wants, that is." My voice grew commanding. I glared at him reproachfully. His eyes grew livid and I tried to explain. "I don't know what kind of man you are or how I've changed the timeline. I don't know what will happen anymore. But I do know what kind of man you could be and what you are capable of doing. And I owe it to someone to stop you from making a big mistake. So no… you can't replace Col. Carter as expedition leader."

"You think you can tell ME what to do?" Woolsey burst out after several minutes of shocked silence. I felt my anger grow. "You are merely a Lieutenant Colonel, Sheppard. And I can have you shipped back to Earth to face a court martial at any time. Understand? You are merely the military commander; you have no say in what the IOA is doing here."

"Yeah, right." I felt my fury snap inside. I let out a dry laugh. Woolsey had forgotten one thing in his rant of his self-importance. I hadn't wanted to bring it up because people were already started to be freaked out by me, but Woolsey was tipping my hand. My skin seemed to tingle with the rage I was attempting to contain. "You're wrong. You have control over Col. Sheppard, but I'm not just him. I'm the Sang Real. My parents were Ancients and I'm the last known corporeal Ancient. Atlantis, by birthright, technically belongs to me. The expedition has earned the right to be here. You, on the other hand, are a guest. And you can not tell me what to do."

"What are you going to do?" Woolsey's face was pale and he was staring at me like I was a ghost. "We are providing the generators that power Atlantis. You need Earth."

"Are you sure about that?" I countered his latest attempt to control Atlantis. I reached for Atlantis's systems, accessing the power grid. Sending a request to the main computer, I shut it down. Everyone gasped as the lights cut off and the city went dark. I looked at Rodney pointedly. He was talking furiously on his headset. After a few minutes he glared at me.

"You happy now? You probably just interrupted several dozen experiments with your stunt!" He rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned to Carter. "This Neanderthal literally shut the city down. We have power, but it's not being accepted by the city. Now that you've made your point, can you please turn the lights back on?"

"Sure, Rodney." I smirked and released the power grid. The lights hummed as they came back on with a sudden burst of energy. He flinched and covered his eyes. "That better?"

"Sure, thanks." He replied sarcastically. I grinned.

"I think I better speak with my superiors." Woolsey stammered out. I nodded and tried to calm down. He nearly backed out of the room.

"Well that was cool. Nice light show." Ronon commented offhand. I stared at him, puzzled. He pointed at my arm. I looked down and noticed a silver spark jump from my upper arm down to my forearm. Then another went from my hand to my wrist and traveled up my arm. It was lightning! "And it got kinda chilly as Woolsey started to tell us he was taking over. That you?"

"I guess." I glanced around. Carter and O'Neill looked grateful for my intervention, Keller was proud, Ronon thought it was cool, and Rodney was annoyed. Which, thinking back to all the panic attacks he'd had over imaginary illnesses and bad guys chasing us, was remarkable. As everyone turned to go I caught up with him. "So, you aren't freaked out by that stuff in there? I mean, I didn't want to call attention to myself, but he could have endangered Atlantis with his plans for us. And I promised you that I'd do my best to make the future better. The future-you that is. I figure this counts. So you aren't creeped out by me?"

"Col., I have spent five years watching you go from flyboy comedian to lean mean fighting machine, trust me, just because you can now tamper with atmospheric conditions and play with the laws of physics, doesn't mean you scare me any more than usual. I know that, deep down, you're still the same Sheppard who would trade his life to save anyone, even the lowliest Private to me or all of Atlantis. You aren't a danger to anyone. Except the Wraith. And Michael's bug people. And Michael himself. And any other threat out there." He added thoughtfully. I raised my eyebrows at his trust. He shrugged in return. "I trust John Sheppard with my life. We have to in this crazy galaxy."

"Jeez, Rodney, you keep this up and I'm going to have an ego that rivals yours." He made a smalll noise of protest and I started to walk away. Suddenly Rodney called out after me.

"I'm one of the ones who earned the right to be here, right? You're not gonna kick me out, are you?" He asked, worried. I contemplated this opportunity carefully and bit back a grin.

"I don't know. I'll have to think on it. I mean you do have a tendency to blow things up. Wouldn't want Atlantis to be destroyed." I pondered slowly, making him sweat a little.

"But I've saved the city countless times too! And your life!" He now sounded concerned. I kept walking, his voice fading in the distance. "Sheppard?!"

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this. A furious John is so cool. When he gets that look in his eyes and you're thinking, maybe I better back up a few feet or so. I just hope you don't think it's too dark for him. I really wanted him to be able to take it out on Woolsey 'cuz I really don't like that guy. I find it hard to believe that he could ever adapt to the Pegasus rule book, A.K.A. none at all. And so he's not gonna be in charge. Me and Sheppard say so.


	8. Stealth

A/N: This is my longest mini-chap yet! I felt that I needed to get back to missions. They are the reason the Atlantis expedition is there, after all. Gotta explore the galaxy. This chap has Shep whump and you have been warned. And the end features the return of a past character. Read on!

**Stealth**

"Do you know how long it's been since we've been on a mission? I mean, all of us together?" I asked as we tromped through the rough jungle vegetation. It had taken some doing, but I'd finally convinced Sol that it was merely a jungle mission and if I needed him, I'd call him. I didn't think his white fur would be very camouflaged in the jungle. We had been walking fifteen minutes, and the plants and trees looked like they were on steroids. They completely blocked out the setting sun's light. We were forced to use our night-vision goggles. The others glanced over and I continued. "A month and a half."

"Col., technically it's been longer than that for me." Teyla pointed out. I nodded, making sure she could see. She had just recently rejoined the team, leaving her two week old son at home. I had protested the wisdom of leaving such a young child with only his father, but Teyla had insisted on getting back in the field. I had made sure to not schedule overnight trips until A.J., as we nicknamed him, could sleep through the night. It wasn't a guarantee against stuff that cropped up on recon missions, but at least this way it wouldn't be on purpose. I didn't want poor Kieran to have to spend a night with a colicky baby alone. So, Teyla was with us on our first full team mission since Teyla was rescued. Not counting the time she was off-duty for maternity leave.

"Yes, but you had a reason." I reminded her. "I was getting a little stir crazy."

"Stir crazy? How did you get stir crazy? You've been disappearing for hours at a time! And I know you don't have that many lessons with Mitchell and Sol, so you've obviously been going back to Earth for something. Let me guess, fresh beer, chocolate, and cheeseburgers?" Rodney protested. I flinched. I had traveled to Earth to hang out with Mitchell a couple of times. I found it easier to relax around him. We had something in common now. And I couldn't stand the odd looks I got from some of the scientists walking around Atlantis these days. Ever since the barrier fell, they had been staring at me like I was either a psychotic axe murderer or a piece of fresh meat for them to experiment on. For that reason, I was avoiding all scientists except McKay, Zelenka, and Keller. At least Lorne had managed to convince the military people that I was still on our side. Mostly. There was that big marine who resembled a giant. I swear his hand would drift towards his holster, empty or not, when he saw me. Rodney's voice cut through my thoughts, thoroughly exasperated. "All I'm saying is you could bring me back something. It'd be nice to have a fresh meal some time. I'm even getting tired of the blue jell-o."

"Fine, I'll see if I can bring some back next time. You know I'm still a bit leery of teleporting others and Sol and I haven't discussed how to transport groups. Wouldn't want you to end up with no clothes on or no head. Of course the silence would be nice. But no transporting others until I think my power is stable. Though, I suppose you could always ask the Doctor for a ride once Sam finalizes the negotiations. But, then again, his ship is a bit accident prone. I don't know if you'd end up where you wanted to go." I observed. It had managed to accidentally switch universes. And the Doctor had said that it wasn't the first time it happened either. I was a bit wary of approaching the storage room where the ship was. I had heard odd stories of a strange blue 'police box.' Evidently the man's chameleon circuit had gotten stuck and he never bothered to fix it. Or didn't know how.

"Do you know that the Doctor may possibly be an actual intelligent being compared to the idiots that I have to work with every day? I barely have to explain any of my thought processes. It's like a vacation for me." Rodney was sufficiently sidetracked. I rolled my eyes behind my goggles. Rodney and the Doctor had hit off splendidly. Two of the most brilliant men in two universes and they were basking in the competition. Of course the Doctor, being 900 years old, did have an edge. We walked on in relative silence for the next fifteen minutes; only Rodney's muttered whining broke the melancholy of insects buzzing and normal jungle noises. Then Murphy and his law struck. A sudden blinding light flashed past me to strike Rodney. He fell. The rest of us dropped to avoid being shot as well.

"Everyone, stay down. Rodney, you okay?" I worked my way over to him, attempting to keep my head below the bush level. That flash had originated form the trees. I scanned the treetops for movement, but the normally helpful goggles only limited my vision. I lifted them up, straining for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I thought quickly and grabbed Excalibur, calling it into it's sword form. I jammed it into the ground and used it to anchor a physical shield that I threw up hastily. The shield shimmered purple and surrounded us. The energy blasts flared as they impacted, but didn't get in. Nothing our attackers had, short of the power of a black hole, could penetrate it; we were safe and the shield provided light. Rodney moaned under my hands. "Where are you hit?"

"Abdomen. Through and through. Something's weird though. It burns." He gritted out. When Rodney was stoic, you knew it had to be bad. I let my senses and power roam. The bullet must have been inside the energy discharge. And when I passed over the wound with my power, I felt nauseous. The coating of the bullet was poison. Enough had entered his blood stream to cause the burning sensation which, as the bullet had merely passed through, meant that it was a potent type of poison. I reached into my vest pocket and pulled out a vial of my blood in a self-cooled container and an eye dropper. Keller had insisted that it be added to the normal first-aid supplies. No more stabbing myself repetitively. I handed them to Teyla.

"I don't know if it'll counteract the poison so you may have to reapply. Stay with him." I ordered. I looked at Ronon who was trying to ascertain the exact positions of our assailants. "How many?"

"Difficult to tell. At least five, maybe ten. They've got us penned down. Should we wait for back-up?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Anyone who comes through the gate faces an ambush. We need to take out the snipers." I thought carefully. While I could merely teleport back to Atlantis, I wasn't eager to test my ability to take others with me, especially not in this chaotic setting. And my shield was fine, but I needed Excalibur to anchor it and keep it stable around Rodney and Teyla. Any gunfire or light would pinpoint our location if we tracked them down. I thought briefly of shape shifting, but the foliage here was too thick for me to fly out and I couldn't do much damage as a falcon. Suddenly I backtracked in my thinking. A falcon wouldn't help, but maybe something else could. I still had one animal of my choice. I needed something with stealth, agility, and power. I bit my lip as I thought and then grinned. Perfect. "I've got an idea."

"Oh no." Rodney managed to quip. I turned to face Ronon full on.

"Wanna go hunting, big guy?" I offered. He stared at me and looked around.

"I could do it. And it'll be easier to work alone." He pointed out. I sighed. Everyone kept underestimating me.

"I can help. Especially like this." I gestured and backed up. I closed my eyes and concentrated on shifting. Once I was done, I heard them gasp. Well, Ronon didn't, but then again, I don't think that man has a single nonviolent bone in his body. He raised his gun a fraction and waited for me to speak, proving that it was still me. I couldn't blame them. Right where I'd been crouching, there now sat a full-grown and lethal-looking black panther._ Don't worry, it's still me. And I'm talking through telepathy. Oh, and Rodney, seeing as you're probably gonna freak out, no, I'm not a mind reader. You want to talk to me, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way._

"What are you?" Teyla asked in wonder. I huffed in amusement. Ronon and Teyla had never seen a panther before.

"He's a panther. Big cat-like animal we have on Earth. Since when can you shape shift?" Rodney gasped out. Teyla put another drop of blood on the wound.

_One of my lessons with Mitchell. For now I can only choose two, so I picked peregrine falcon to fly and this seemed to be a good fit for the job right now. _I explained. Restless, I began to pace, a silent black shadow. _Let's go before we're overdue. Don't want Lorne to have to rescue us again._

"Then let's hunt." Ronon and I traded feral grins and, though I was a wild animal, his was still scarier than mine. How does he do that? "Can I leave the force field without it going off?"

_Yeah, just let me go first. I'll be harder to notice and can start covering some ground. Only use your blaster in emergencies. Try not to kill, but if it comes down to it, don't hold back. These guys are getting on my nerves. _I ordered. At his nod I crouched. In one swift leap I managed to land on a low-lying branch above the shield. I quickly faded into the darkness before our attackers could react. I sniffed the air, scenting ten people other than my team. One was strong and had to be near by. I slowed my leaps from branch to branch and proceeded to position myself above the gunman's post. I made sure my claws were sheathed and leapt onto his branch. _Boo._

"Great Ancestors!" The man reeled back. I darted forward and slammed a heavy paw into his head, effectively knocking him out. Great Ancestor indeed. I began to stalk my next target. I finally located him secreted in a large leafy tree, perched almost halfway up the trunk. He was quickly dealt with. I tracked the next one down by tracing the heavy breathing. He knew his buddies were missing. I crept up. Suddenly, a large tree frog leapt out of my way, letting out a loud croak. The already scared and trigger-happy gunman turned and fired. He missed the frog. Bad news? He hit me. I felt the bullet strike me in the shoulder and let out a strangled roar. He nearly dropped the gun. I struck out with a paw, not bothering to watch my claws. They raked across his skin and sent him plummeting to the ground below. He landed awkwardly and didn't move. I didn't need cat vision to tell that he wouldn't be getting up again. I winced as I felt a burning ache began to build in my shoulder. The bullet was buried deep in my shoulder. I considered healing but realized that I would have to change back to human or take the bullet out manually to prevent mistakes. Right before I changed, another sudden realization stopped me in my tracks. In the shifting of bodies, many of my organs had moved around. I briefly calculated where the bullet would end up in a human body. I didn't like the answer. If I had changed, the bullet still lodged inside of me would have torn through my aorta and most likely ended up in my heart. I wouldn't have been alive to heal.

_Crap. _I thought to myself, careful not to broadcast to the others. Already the bullet's poison was beginning to course through my body. I panted and kept moving. I could tell Ronon had taken out three as well and was working on the fourth. That left three. Two were together and, now limping, I landed on one, slamming his head against the bark and then pounced on the second. He went down easily. The tenth and final scent was old and it felt like he was hightailing it to the gate. I called out to Rodney and Teyla. _OK, there's only one left and he's by the gate. You're clear to start heading back. Just tell Excalibur you're a friend; it should let you pick it up. You better head back too , Ronon._

"You alright?" I heard a low voice call out with my cat hearing. I began to head back to the gate.

_I'm fine. Help Teyla with Rodney. The trail should be easier since we already broke through. See you in fifteen. _With my speed and ability to jump from tree to tree, it was only a five minute wait for the others to show up. I settled down and fought the urge to lick my wounds. Whatever was in that poison was serious. It burned and my leg and shoulder were beginning to twitch uncontrollably, sending waves of pain down my raw nerve endings. I let out a low growl. Stupid frogs. I tried to get my mind off the pain and imagined myself back at Atlantis flying a Puddlejumper.

"Sheppard?" Ronon asked quietly. My tactic had worked. My team was coming into the small clearing now. They stopped by the DHD. Teyla's right arm was helping hold McKay up while the other held Excalibur. I stayed back.

_Here. Dial Atlantis. Get Rodney back. I'll keep an eye out for any followers. _I ordered, short and abrupt to keep the pain from my mental voice. My mind was getting a bit fuzzy as the poison worked its way through my system. Another bonus for staying in the larger panther form was that it diluted the effect of the poison. If I'd been human, I would have been in convulsions by now. I should have gone through the gate with the others immediately, but I couldn't help a feeling of unease. My team stepped through, supporting Rodney between them. His gaping wound was sealed, but he was still pale. It had to be the poison. I winced as I started out, aching muscles complaining. I got up the steps and turned to look back at the clearing. A sudden swift movement caught my attention. I stiffened as the last man came out from behind a tree and dove towards me with a knife. My pain-dulled reflexes were too slow to avoid him completely, but I managed to prevent further injury from the knife. We rolled into the wormhole. Mere seconds later we appeared in Atlantis's gate room. The guards stiffened, but I was focused on the man who was now pinned beneath me. I let out a growl.

"I've got him, Sheppard." Ronon raised his blaster and covered the attacker. I got up slowly and backed away. I looked around and noticed that several marines were still aiming at me. I instinctively hissed and a low growl built in my throat. I backed up to the now dormant Stargate. Teyla, who had been handing Rodney off to Dr. Keller and explaining the situation with the poison, noticed my dilemma. She quickly came to my aid.

"Please, it is Col. Sheppard. Put down your weapons." She explained. I watched as the Marines' eyes widened and the guns went down. I relaxed a tiny bit. As Keller to haul McKay back to her infirmary, I began to follow. "John? Why do you not change back.?"

"Sheppard!" Ronon called. He was looking his prisoner over, noting the blood and his lack of open wounds. He stared at me, finally noting the bullet hole in my shoulder. He frowned. An oblivious Keller walked up.

"Does he have his gun? I need a sample from a bullet to identify the poison." She asked. Ronon shook his head, still watching me. I sighed.

_Uh, Doc? You can probably use this bullet. _She turned, incredulous. I raised my twitching paw and shoulder. I nearly lost my balance as a new wave of agony rolled down body. My vision swam. _Oh, and I hope you're a veterinarian. I can't change back or heal until the bullet's out._

"When did you get hit?" Keller knelt by me. I let my legs fold and lay on the floor, fuzziness filling my brain. The twitching intensified and spread. I suppressed a yowl.

'_Bout twenty-five minutes ago. Guy got spooked by a tree frog and hit me instead. _I felt my words coming slowly. Thinking was getting harder and harder. _Had to make sure the others got back okay. Been running on adrenaline. Kinda tired now, though._

"Try to stay awake, you hear me, Sheppard? I need to know your symptoms." Keller motioned for the others to bring a gurney. The medics balked, but complied. I tried to keep my eyes open, but the fuzziness was winning and the pain from my shoulder was making my vision spotty. I blinked and didn't feel my eyelids open up again. As I faded away, I felt the twitching turn into full-blown convulsions and heard Keller's panicked voice. "Prep surgery. We need that bullet out of him stat. And someone contact a biologist or zoologist! We need someone who knows about panthers."

* * *

"Colonel?" A far-away voice asked. I tried to raise my head, puzzled by the urgency in the voice, but was defeated by a bone deep weariness. "Col., we need you to change back. We've got the bullet out and found the antidote. But we bloody well can't treat a panther. You've got to change back, lad."

I frowned suspiciously. Who said bloody these days? Was this a dream? Only one way to find out, I decided. _Carson?_

"Aye, Col., Keller needed all the help she could get, what with you bein' a cat and both you and Rodney suffering from strange poison. So she got me out of stasis. Turns out she had been working on a cure for the clone degeneration found in the Hive ship's records. She finally figured out enough to give it a test run. And it worked. But, son, can you change back? You're scaring the nurses." Carson answered. I thought briefly and figured it was worth a shot. I concentrated on being human and, though much slower than normal, I felt the change come over me. There was a slight twinge as the bullet hole moved and shifted, and I winced. As soon as I had finished with the change I healed the wound. "Ah, you've healed. Keller said your blood could do that, but we weren't sure how a panther would react. So we let you take care of that. I think you and I have a fair amount of catching up to do."

"Yeah, Doc. Been real busy these days." I breathed out, coughing slightly at the dryness. I moved from on my side where I'd laid as a panther to on my back. Carson pulled the sheet up over my fully clothed body. When I'd asked Sol how the clothes stayed with me he'd explained, saying that they were stored as energy along with the rest of my mass inside my cells. I hadn't understood the physics of it, but figured that as long as it worked, I was fine with it. Carson finished tucking me in and held up an ice chip for me to swallow. I accepted gratefully. "How's Rodney?"

"He's fine. Once we figured out the poison, your blood was able to fix him up completely. That Doctor fellow was a great help. Did ya know he has all sorts of advanced diagnosing equipment in his ship's infirmary? But he's not even a real medical doctor. Seems like he's another thing you need to tell me about."

"Sure. But first, I'm exhausted." I yawned and stretched, getting comfortable in the stiff infirmary bed. Carson nodded in understanding.

"Aye, you go to sleep. Even with all this weird stuff happening, you're bound to feel run down after the day you've had." Carson began to leave, pulling the curtain closed. I called after him.

"And Doc? You might want to bring a chair next time. It's a long story." Satisfied, I closed my eyes, laid back, and fell immediately asleep.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it. I really wanted Carson back, but all you Keller fans don't worry. She'll still be around. And John did get whumped. Plus, he got his second shape shifting animal. I thought a panther suited him perfectly. The lean, stealthy predator matches Sheppard's reaction to the Genii and other invaders. I really hope it's slightly believable (though I did make Shep an Ancient, so I can't be too worried about believability). Please keep reading (and review if you like it or want to help me out with ideas)! I was going to leave this on John passing out, but felt that a cliffhanger, especially since I'm not positive I'll be able to post next week on time, would be a little cruel. If I knew for sure I'd be able to, all bets would be off, but I'm going on Spring Break the week after next and I'll be busy with a livestock show this upcoming week. So I let you off the hook. Just don't get too upset if I'm a little late with the next mini-chap; I did warn you after all!


	9. Sanctuary

A/N: This is for all you Beckett lovers out there. I don't like the fact that IOA is so pigheaded about recalling him to Earth on TV, so in my world he isn't.

**Sanctuary**

"So… what'd ya think about the movie?" I asked. Carson and I were lounging on the infirmary balcony after I had finally convinced him to take a few minutes off. His reaction to my story had been hilarious. He had stared at me in shock for quite a few minutes, then nearly fell over himself trying to analyze my blood. Once a geneticist, always a geneticist. I'd drug him away last night, insisting we see what was playing on movie night. To my dismay it was The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Who had snuck an old Disney movie onto Atlantis? And, more importantly, why? Carson stretched his arms as he gazed at the water.

"Aye, it was very interestin', that's for sure. I don't believe I've seen that movie in years. Or rather, the original Beckett. Bloody hell, it's so easy to forget that isn't it? Technically I'm not more than two years old." Carson sighed. He'd had a hard time of it, finding out he was a clone. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"The way I see it, you're just missing a few memories, that's all. And if the others can't see that, it's their loss. But, then again, they're bound to accept you. They took the fact I'm an Ancient pretty well, didn't they?" I offered hopefully. Carson nodded his head slowly.

"Thanks, lad. I'm glad I've got at least one supporter. But, I suppose it won't matter much longer anyway. There's rumors that IOA's gonna call me back. Can't have a clone running around Atlantis. I'm still susceptible to Michael's influence and all. But I'm having a fantastic time studying your blood." Carson answered regretfully. I frowned.

"Carson, do you trust me?" I asked suddenly. He nodded. I grabbed his shoulders and paused. He was startled and curious, but not alarmed. I closed my eyes and reached inside of me for my power. Fumbling slightly, I tried to remember how Lamara had changed A.J'.'s DNA before he was born. It took a minute, but finally my power figured out what I wanted. When I opened my eyes, I was confronted by a single strand of Beckett's DNA. I studied it carefully, not wanting to miss something. Almost halfway down I noticed it. A small marker. A Wraith marker. I glanced around, ensuring it wasn't connected to anything else and then deleted it. I forced the change to the rest of the DNA strands. I stepped back and I was in the real world once again. Beckett rubbed his arms. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, lad, just a tingle, but what was that?" He stared at me, waiting for an answer. I shrugged.

"I deleted the marker that let Michael control you. Didn't want you feeling like you were a danger to the expedition. It's weird that I know exactly how that feels. We really need to take a vacation some time." I reflected on this conclusion. The Pegasus galaxy certainly did provide a broad range of experiences. I just wish a few more of them were happy. I grinned at the thought. We'll just have to make them a bit more chipper, won't we? First up, scare Carson out of his wits. He'd be distracted and I'd have a great time listening to his rants. I stepped back and thought over my options. Carson was considering me carefully. A sudden beep from my earpiece distracted me from my strategizing.

"Col. Sheppard? It's Maj. Lorne." My 2IC's voice came from my headset. I tapped it on.

"Here. What's up?" I asked. Lorne's voice didn't sound too concerned and as I didn't see a Hive ship looming above Atlantis or hear a massive explosion, his news couldn't have been to serious.

"Sir, I'm taking a few newbies up in a Puddlejumper. They just arrived on the Deadalus and have the ATA gene so I'm showing 'em around. Did you want to come and help demonstrate the capabilities of a jumper?" He reported.

"You go ahead and I'll catch up." I grinned at his request. After Lorne had gotten situated in Atlantis and figured out how to work a jumper himself we had launched our own version of the Indy 500 in mid-air. Afterwards, at Elizabeth's fury, we had put the race down as "demonstrating the capabilities of the jumpers" to Atlantis personnel. It hadn't helped when Zelenka ended up approaching me about collecting my winnings outside her office and in full hearing of our irate leader. Before I let my thoughts sour over the lingering loss, I looked up to see the bay doors at the top of the central tower. They majestically slid open and a single jumper glided away. As the jumper did a barrel roll as it made a pass by the balcony and Lorne spotted us. I began to grin. "Hey Carson, I'm gonna go join him, okay?"

"All right, but by the time you get a jumper warmed up, the major will have already finished most of his exercises." Carson pointed out. My smile widened. I leaned over the balcony railing, judging the distance. I began to climb up, and Carson's face began to fill with worry. "What're ya doin', lad?"

"Whoever said anything about using a jumper?" I threw my legs over the top of the railing and pushed off.

"Bloody hell! Sheppard!" Carson yelled out, terrified. I could successfully check off scaring Beckett from my to do list. I called to mind the peregrine falcon as I fell. It was made easy by the wind rushing in my face. The itching tingle swept over me, leaving me with folded wings where my arms had been. I quickly spread them out, catching the wind and using my momentum to swoop upwards.

_Relax, Carson. I'm fine. This is my other shape shifting animal, peregrine falcon. Cool, huh? _I told him. I pumped my wings, gliding in the wind. I spotted the Puddlejumper weaving its way through the spires of Atlantis. I stooped into a steep dive and shot past them. I slowed and circled while the curious passengers in the jumper tried to figure out where a falcon had come from. Lorne stopped and hovered, watching me circle. I flapped over to the front of the jumper and managed to cling to the front where the windshield met the hull. I looked inside and mentally smirked. The newbies had probably heard numerous rumors about me from the soldiers stationed on Atlantis. _So… what do you think about our jumpers?_

I couldn't hear their answer through the glass and metal, but their reactions told me enough. Several of them visibly jumped and Lorne's eyes widened. He lifted one hands off the controls and mock-saluted. _Flying the jumper is fun, right? But it's a whole hell of a lot cooler with wings._

I watched Lorne nod, envy evident in his eyes. I released my hold on the jumper and beat my wings, backing away. I turned and began to fly around the city. Carson had disappeared from the infirmary balcony while I was talking. To my delight I spotted McKay and Ronon standing on a balcony talking. I hurtled towards them and landed on the railing. McKay nearly took flight himself. Ronon tensed. I bated, sending a gust of wind towards Rodney. _Hey guys._

"Sheppard." Ronon stated and relaxed. I did an odd bird-bow. Rodney finally calmed down enough to come over, examining my appearance with a critical eye.

"You know, Sheppard, black falcons aren't usually native to Pegasus. You kind of stick out." Rodney pointed out sarcastically. I inwardly smirked.

_That why you tried to join me in flying when I landed? _I shot back. My eyes flicked to Ronon's arm. As usual, he had his leather cuffs. Noting my attention, Ronon looked down. Grinning he lifted his arm in invitation. I hopped up onto the leather, careful not to penetrate the leather or lose my balance. The hard leather was much better than the slightly slanted and flat railing. Once I was settled, I looked myself over. I was black as Rodney had said. I must have been thinking about my hair while I changed. _I didn't know I could change colors. That's interesting. Where'd Carson go? I noticed he was called away. What's goin' on?_

"Carson's talking to Carter. Landry's calling in about fifteen minutes to discuss the situation. Ronon and I are sitting out here to wait to back up Carter when she asks to keep Carson here. That's what's going on, Col." Rodney explained. His short sentences spoke to his irritation. He and Carson had become close friends before his death and now with the fact that Carson was back, albeit a clone, it was killing him to have to stay inside while others discussed Beckett's fate. I beat my wings and launched myself into the empty space on the balcony. I changed in mid-air and lightly dropped. After brushing my clothes off, I opened the door.

"Ok, who's trying to make you leave again?" I demanded. I switched my gaze between the two. "Is it the IOA again? I told them to back off. Can't they get that through their thick skulls?"

"Technically, Col., the IOA does have a right to recall expedition members back to Earth. This is not an Atlantis matter to them. And yes, it probably is an IOA decision. If they call Carson back, there's nothing we can do." Carter frowned in distaste. She was obviously upset at this development as well. I paced as they discussed options. Finally the dreaded call came in. The Stargate whooshed and after Rodney and Ronon joined us, we entered the control room to find the link already established. A harried looking General Landry walked into view.

"Atlantis. Good to see you. I'm not very pleased with the reasoning behind this decision, so I'm gonna jump right out and say it. The IOA have officially recalled Doctor Beckett to Earth. I'm afraid of you'll have to return, Doctor." Landry grimaced expecting our reaction. I noted his eyes wondering curiously over the group and locking on me. Word of my uniqueness had been communicated to him then. I wondered briefly what was happening with Mitchell back on Earth, but was sidetracked by thoughts of Beckett. Just because he was a clone he was being singled out and mistreated. The situation sparked a memory and my eyes widened.

"Carson, how attached are you to Earth? Can you imagine not returning to your family for a while?" I asked abruptly. Carson looked at me in shock and despair.

"Col., I couldn't possibly visit my family. They buried me, remember? I've got nothing on Earth to hold me except the IOA's orders." Carson answered, ashamed of the fact he was a mere clone to everyone on Earth. No one seemed to realize that he was essentially Carson, just without a year or two of memories with us. I turned to Carter and let out an apologetic smile for what I was about to do.

"I know this isn't a church, but I was thinking the principle would work…" I trailed off. Beckett realized immediately what I was talking about.

"Aye, lad! General Landry, I am asking for sanctuary, or amnesty, whatever they call it these days, from Col. Sheppard and Atlantis." Carson explained to the bewildered man. I nodded.

"As a foreign entity, Atlantis has the right to accept refugees from worlds who are no longer habitable for certain individuals or species. As Sang Real, I am well-within my right to offer you a place to claim sanctuary from the IOA." I straightened, standing tall. "Beckett no longer has to answer to the IOA. He has been accepted as a Lantean resident and as such, falls under my jurisdiction. He stays."

* * *

A/N: I'm getting the gang back together! Carson's back, next up???? I hope you enjoyed the references to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I wanted a way for Sheppard to fight the IOA's decision thus I used the sanctuary concept of a church that is mentioned in the film. If you haven't seen it, basically I used it because the gypsy girl who is running away from the law goes to the church and claims sanctuary. As long as she doesn't leave the church, the guards can't touch her. I'm going to stretch the concept a bit for the Pegasus galaxy because I can't see IOA members ordering Beckett be arrested while off-world and brought back to Earth. So he's a full citizen of Atlantis and is protected by Shep. Sheppard would never let the poor guy get taken away by the IOA -who no one in their right mind trusts- and so he asserts his authority the only way he can.


	10. Reflections

A/N: This mini-chap is a bit sappy. Just a conversation between Shep and the Doctor over lost loves. Definite Shweir and Ten/Rose. I just think those are really good fit for the characters. I'm not against Sheyla, but I favor Shweir. Here it is.

**Reflections**

Note to self: 900 year old aliens with nothing to do are dangerous. I ducked as something sparked in the TARDIS's consoles as the Doctor fiddled with some aspect of his ship's computer. I wearily asked the TARDIS, _Is this normal?_

_Yes. Very. He gets bored so it gives him something to do and it makes me feel special when he gives me attention. _The disembodied voice of the TARDIS answered. The fact I was talking to a ship was not lost on me. I thought back to when I finally decided to look at the strange blue box supposedly stored in one of our storage rooms.

***

"You travel in that? It's a bit small." I pointed out to the Doctor. He just rolled his eyes.

"Humans. Always thinking that what you see is what you get." He sighed in exasperation. In response I looked harder at the seemingly plain blue Police Public Call Box. Suddenly my eyesight shifted. I nearly tripped as I started backing up. Like a ghost of an image there was a massive ship connected to the innocent-looking doors. The ship seemed to ignore Atlantis and it faded straight into the walls, continuing for untold lengths. I gaped and my eyes almost crossed in an attempt to see both the Call Box and the actual ship. The Doctor looked at me curiously. "What?"

"I can see it! How does that thing fit in here? It's enormous." I was in awe. The TARDIS was at least half the size of the city and it was sitting conveniently in one of our storage rooms. I blinked and the image was gone, leaving the blue box. I turned to him. "What was that?"

"You could see it? Amazing. Evidently you possess the ability to see alternate dimensions at will. That's brilliant." His eyes shined at this information. "Oh, and that's the TARDIS. It's trans-dimensional. On this dimension, it's a blue box while another dimension has the ship. They're connected. For your purposes you can say it's bigger on the inside. I find most humans will go with that."

"Wow." I rubbed my eyes then watched as he pulled a golden key out his pocket. He inserted in the lock. "Just a key?"

"Yep. Used to have a bio-scanner to let only me and people with me in, but as the TARDIS grew up, I decided it wasn't necessary. Really this key is just a formality. Even if you have the key, the TARDIS isn't about to let a stranger in without my approval. She's sentient after all." He opened the door. My head almost exploded. The singing from before the barrier broke was back with a vengeance. My eyes filled with tears and I nearly cried. I usually wasn't one to cry, but this music was pure emotion, mainly sorrow and a deep sense of loneliness and loss. It was a lament for the dead. I instantly remembered the Doctor's heartbroken recollection of his people's demise. The ship had a reason for such a mournful song: it and its operator were the last of their kinds. The song was haunting, yet eerily beautiful. The Doctor noticed my vacant expression and grabbed my arm. "I wondered about that. You can hear it, can't you?"

"Yes." I whispered. At that last statement, the TARDIS's song changed drastically. Suddenly the music was joyous and frantic. I listened in wonder. I caught fragments of words.

_You__…__ here! __…__ Help him__…__ find__…__._ The TARDIS sounded happy and expectant. I wasn't sure what she was asking, but I tried o soothe her.

_I__'__ll do what I can to help. _I promised.

"It's OK, girl. Calm down. I'm sure the Colonel would like to be able to hear after he leaves." The Doctor patted a control lovingly. The TARDIS's voice slowed accordingly. Finally she was a mere hum in the back of my mind, extremely similar to the feel of Atlantis when I was in the city. I filed that fact away for future reference. "She likes you."

"Well, what can I say? I'm just one of those guys. Don't tell Rodney though. He'll have a field day with it. He already calls me Kirk; you don't need to fuel the fire." I joked. The Doctor chuckled politely then began to mess with one of the panels.

"I'm just gonna do a little maintenance. Took a hard landing when I got in your universe, don't want that to come back and bite me." He grabbed a strange silver cylinder with a blue tip. When he pushed a button it came to life. A blue light and a slight hum emanated from it. At my curious look he grinned. "Sonic screwdriver. Never leave home without it."

***

"So when you he calls you Kirk…" The Doctor's voice from under the controls jarred me out of my memory. I sighed.

"Rodney has an active imagination. Yes, girls do tend to fall for me, but I don't go looking for it. When we first got here, Teyla, the woman who had the baby, trusted me more than my CO at the time because I didn't look through her and saw her as an equal. Smart thing, too, 'cause she can kick my butt at stick fighting. Then later we met Chaya. She was the Ascended who healed me when my parents had to leave to fix the barrier; though we didn't know she was ascended at the time. She's exiled by the Council to protect her planet. It doesn't sound that bad, but she can only protect her planet. For someone who cares about humans, it's a curse to sit by and watch the rest of the worlds get ravaged by the Wraith. She was lonely. When we came to investigate her planet and learned that they had never experienced a culling, we went to talk to the High Priestess for their "god" Athar. It was Chaya in disguise. She walked among her people to feel their innocence. But she came back to Atlantis to spend time with me. I didn't want to believe Rodney's claims that she was something other than human. When she finally had to admit that she was ascended but couldn't help us, she told the entire conference room she came to see me. Then the Wraith attacked her planet and she went back to face them. I followed to help if I could and we shared. You wouldn't believe how long Rodney went around saying I had glowy sex. Finally Sam told him he was wrong when Chaya was here." I shook my head. "Then there was Teer. She was nice and really wise and all, but not only did she end up ascending, but she wasn't for me. She didn't know anything about me besides my face. It never would have worked out. And Mara? She was a snob. Don't get me wrong, she was hot and all for me, but she only wanted me for my ability to control Ancient tech. I really don't understand how people see Larrin as a conquest, because she really kidnapped me. And had me beaten. While she was good-looking, she was an egotistical and ruthless woman. Not gonna happen."

"You really did have a lot of female encounters, didn't you?" The Doctor stared at me. I smirked and shrugged. "But I know someone who's even worse than that. Captain Jack Harkness. Mind you, he's not really a captain. He stole the identity of a man in 1941. Used to be a con man. I don't understand how he can flirt by saying hello. And let me tell you, because he's an ex-Time Agent from the 51st century, he is very diverse. If that's what you call it here. He hit on both Rose and me when we first met him. I suppose he was normal for the time period he came from, but he was an eye opener to travel with."

"Rose? Isn't she the one who got stuck in the parallel universe?" I asked. His face gained a sadder look and his voice grew soft.

"Yes." He looked away. "She was special. Human, but she had so much compassion. She stopped me from killing a Dalek. It almost killed her, but she saw that it was mutating. It had used her DNA to repair itself and in doing so, it contained a tiny sliver of Rose Tyler in it. And it figured out that killing wasn't everything. It learned to love and it learned what freedom means. And she saved it from me. I was never more ashamed. A simple human was a better person than I was. She fixed me. And I lost her. So many friends over so many years and I never told the one person who really mattered the most that I loved her. I used the energy of a supernova to say good-bye and when it came down to it, I couldn't say what I needed to in time. I was an idiot."

"I know how that feels." At his raised eyebrows I explained. "I let regulations and people's expectations to put off telling someone that I cared for them. She's gone, lost to the Replicators. And what's worst? I was forced to say goodbye when I was running away. I left her behind. She could be dead."

"Who was it? If you don't mind my asking." The Doctor leaned back against one of the supports and watched me carefully. I considered his request.

"Dr. Elizabeth Weir. Former expedition head." I replied gruffly. He nodded. Suddenly he jumped up and started wandering through the ship. I hesitantly followed. After several twists and turns we arrived at a small kitchen with various appliances and cabinets. From one cabinet he pulled out two wine glasses; from another, a bottle of wine.

"This wine is vintage 1947. I've had it a tad longer than that, but it'll work." He poured some in each glass and gave one to me. I stared at him. He raised his glass in a toast. "To Rose and Elizabeth. To lost loves."

"To love." I echoed after I realized what he was doing. I sipped my glass. "To Elizabeth."

***

A/N: Awww. The boys are so lost without their girls. I don't know 'bout y'all, but I think it's sweet. I hope you don't feel that Shep's too emotional. I can envision those two kind of hitting it off. Not as much as Rodney and the Doctor, but still good friends.


	11. A Good Heart

A/N: Sorry! I know I'm late. Life's been busy (finished my last college English paper couple of days ago) and I haven't been able to finish my chaps. This one is probably at least a medium chap or a shorter long chap. It covers the Ancient Council and has a nice indignant, angry Shep. You may now run in fear. I actually decided to write a summary this time.

Summary: When John is called in front of the Ascended Council, he finds old friends, fights old enemies, and gets an extra-special gift that will change his life forever. Isn't it nice that he has such a good heart?

**A Good Heart**

"Hello, Doctor Jackson." I greeted the busy archeologist as I walked in his open door. He looked up briefly, waved, and went back to work. I waited. Finally who he had seen sunk in.

"Wait a second… Colonel Sheppard? When did you get here?" He looked up again, this time actually seeing me. I smirked.

"You sure don't pay much attention to your surroundings do you? Haven't O'Neill and Mitchell taught you anything?" I asked. He smiled sheepishly. "And I just popped in for a visit. Thought I'd come by and see you about something."

"Obviously nothing that's stuck. Why'd you come?" He put down what he was working on and came over to shake my hand. I stared at him for a second.

"You mean you really forgot my promise? I always keep my promises." I teased him. He thought a second and broke into a wide grin.

"You're going to introduce me to your parents?" He guessed. I nodded. "Great!"

"Yeah, figured you'd be excited." I watched as he grabbed his jacket. "We do need to pick someone else up first. Come on."

"Who?" He had walk quickly to keep up with my fast pace. I looked back over my shoulder.

"Well, I don't know if Mitchell told you, but we had a problem on Atlantis almost a month and a half ago. Seems the barrier between worlds is tied to me and someone accidentally broke it by crossing. It was a huge mess. Luckily the Council raised the barrier again, but until I can consciously control it, we've got a visitor in our universe. Calls himself the Doctor. No name, just a title. He's a character all right. He's from a species of alien call the Time Lords and he and McKay have really hit it off. Great sense of humor though. When he found out that we don't have many celebrations each year, he offered to provide some alcohol for a proper party. And when he says Time Lord, he means it. He's a time traveler and the alcohol he provided? Let's just say I'm glad I live in this universe if that's what humanity will be drinking in a million years. We had the worst hangover in the history of hangovers." I explained. Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh, and you'll like him too. He speaks over five million languages, but not Ancient. They didn't have Ancients in their universe. Probably didn't have the Nox, Furlings, Azgard, or Goa'uld either. You and he can teach each other languages."

"Five million!" Daniel was astounded. I just shrugged.

"That's what the man said." I motioned to one of the rooms. "Come on, I left him with Vala."

"You do realize she's probably flirting with him, right?" Daniel pointed out. I nodded.

"Yeah, but he's over 900 years old; he can take care of himself." I chuckled as Daniel took in this new information. Sudden raised voices tore us from our conversation.

"Give that back." The Doctor's voice was livid. I groaned. Trust a known thief to try and pickpocket an advanced alien species. We turned into the room. Vala was holding the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

"How big are those pockets of yours? I didn't even feel the bottom." She shot back playfully, twirling the screwdriver as she held it away from him.

"They're bigger on the inside. You wouldn't understand. Now give it back." He tried to reach for it, but she danced away. I sighed and mentally grabbed the screwdriver, calling it to my hand. Mitchell and I'd finally mastered telekinesis. Now I was plagued by the desire to play pranks on the poor unsuspecting people of Atlantis. McKay still couldn't figure out who stole his prized chocolate stash when he had teased me about fainting when the barrier fell. It was too easy to open the locks when I could feel them click in my mind and I didn't leave any fingerprints doing it my way either. Serves him right. I do NOT faint.

"I can't leave you alone with him, can I Vala? I told you to behave." I handed the small cylinder back to the Doctor. He tucked it away in his –no doubt trans-dimensional- pocket.

"I was behaving!" She pouted. I rolled my eyes. "He's just got so much stuff and he was being a meanie and not letting me look at any of it. So I uh, acquired it."

"Vala, you've got to stop stealing stuff. When someone says no, they mean no." Daniel scolded her. I smiled at the exchange. Teal'c had said they'd hit it off on the Odyssey, and they sounded like an old, married couple.

"Fine." She flounced out. Daniel echoed my earlier sigh.

"I seriously don't know what I'm gonna do with her. Sometimes she's actually sensitive and sweet, but others I feel like she's gonna be the death of me. Literally." Daniel looked over at the Doctor, noting his scruffy hair, pinstripe suit, and worn-in trainers. "Are you sure he's an alien? He sounds like he's from the North."

"Like I've said before, lots of planets where I come from have a North. Go figure." He ended this fact with a foreign-sounding comment. To his surprise Daniel immediately answered in the same language. He leaned forward. "You know this? It's a dead language."

"Not on MX3-901. They speak it on a regular basis. Took me almost two days to figure out what they were speaking and another to find a decent translation key." Daniel explained. The Doctor looked at him with a tad more respect.

"Impressive." He said off-hand.

"Um, not to interrupt or anything, but weren't we going somewhere?" I pointed out. Daniel nodded then froze.

"Have you been cleared to take others with you? I mean, is it safe?" He looked at me. I nodded.

"Yep. Mitchell and I took turns teleporting each other until we got the hang of it. That way if something went wrong the other could immediately teleport out of there. Nothing ever even went wrong." I assured him. He relaxed. I put my hand on Daniel's shoulder and the other on the Doctor's. I closed my eyes and started the teleport. When it was done, I let go of their shoulders and looked around at the familiar house of my childhood.

"It's so human." Daniel studied the area. I shrugged.

"They modeled it after one of my houses I lived in when I was younger. They even translate their messages into mail. It surprised McKay, too. I think they're in the library. It's over here." I led the way. I had been here several time and, while the library was physically the same as the one my family had on Earth, it was filled with volumes of everything from Ancient history to Ancient fairy tales. There were even a few about the Nox, the Furlings, and the Azgard. I figured Daniel would be in Heaven. "Hello, Kibetan, Lamara. What's up?"

"Hello, John. How've you been?" Lamara came over and hugged me. After two and a half months with the knowledge I was their son, it was finally starting to feel less awkward when they hugged me. I smiled and returned the embrace.

"I'm fine." I assured her. "I just thought that I'd bring Daniel by to meet you. Of course, he may have heard of you while he was ascended, but then he woke up naked on a planet with no memories."

"Ah yes, Oma did say she had a little fun when she made you mortal. I never bothered to ask what she meant." Kibetan chuckled, then turned serious. "This may not be the best time, son. We were just about to call you and Sol. The Council wants to talk to you."

"Great." I replied sarcastically. While my parents were okay for Ancients, the rest of the Council had required two years worth of convincing to let me live after they found out about my existence. Not people who were very concerned for my wellbeing. "Do I need to take the others back?"

"I'd love to see a Council meeting." Daniel offered hopefully. "And the Doctor is pretty advanced anyway. Can we go?"

"As long as you do not create too much of a ruckus, you should be fine. As a Time Lord, the Doctor has every right to attend one of our meetings. We would be honored if he joined us." Lamara smiled gently. The Doctor shrugged.

"I guess I'll go. Always eager to meet new people." He responded. I nodded and Kibetan cleared his throat.

"We really must be going. Sol will meet us there." He held out a hand to both Daniel and the Doctor, while Lamara offered her hand to me. I patted Excalibur to reassure myself and we disappeared. When the light cleared, we were in the middle of a large room, surrounded by seated Ancients. I looked around, slightly nervous. A sudden movement made me turn, just in time to feel the impact as a brown-haired blur careened into me. It took me a second, but I realized that the arms wrapped around me belonged to a little girl. When she looked up I grinned.

"Hedda!" I hugged her back. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yep!" She answered happily. "Teer says you're special now."

"I guess I am. It's good to see you." I looked at the rest of the Sanctuary's village. They were seated proudly in one of the middle tiers. I gave Teer a half-hearted wave and got a smile in return. At least there were a few people besides my parents who were on my side. "You better go sit with the others, kid, OK?"

"Alright, John." She nodded, perky as ever and went to sit. I saw Daniel's puzzled look and shrugged. "She's a good kid. Saved my life a couple of times. Tell you later."

"Thank you for coming, Lord Kibetan, Lady Lamara. This is your son?" One of the more severe-looking Ancient ladies asked. I stepped forward.

"I am. My name is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard." I introduced myself respectfully. She nodded stiffly. Obviously she disapproved of me then. Great.

"Very well, since Solarion Lightstar is already here, we will begin the meeting." She motioned to Sol, who stood and walked over to my side. She then turned to the rest of the Council. "We are here today to discuss the situation with the Sang Real, the son of our leaders, Kibetan and Lamara. Though his parents are ascended, he is not. He also possesses the power inherent of the son of two ascended beings and lives among the humans in Atlantis. We are here…"

"Interesting. That's what you meant by the pedigree bit, Sheppard." A dry, familiar, and humorless voice interrupted the speaker. I whipped my head around and found that my day had just gotten worse. It was Michael and he wasn't alone. Right next to him stood a grim and calculating Parath, the same Ancient who had nearly killed me when he found me in my parents' house and about to draw Excalibur. Kibetan had said he had been banished. This was just plain not fair. I frowned menacingly and Kibetan echoed my sentiment.

"Didn't I banish you, Parath?" Kibetan's tone was icy. I reached for Excalibur.

"You did, my Lord. And I really do need to thank you for that. I never could have discovered this little artifact without my exile to the farthest reaches of our galaxies." He points to a round, circular jewel in Michael's hands. I look over at Kibetan for an explanation, but find only horror.

"My God, it's the Sangreal. Oh crap." Daniel managed to spit out. I raised my eyes. Whatever he had said sounded a lot like what I was called by the Ancients and Sol. What did I have to do with this? At my even more confused look he clarified. "Not you, Sheppard. Merlin used the legend of the sang real to hide his ultimate work: the Sangreal. It kills Ascended. We used it on the Ori, but he must have found it floating in the Ori's galaxy while in exile. This is very bad. Very."

"That's right, Doctor Jackson. This is the Sangreal, conveniently made by you yourself. I seem to have found a new purpose for it." Parath smiled evilly. I stared at the Ancient spokesperson.

"Why don't you stop him? He's threatening you all!" I demanded to know why the other Ancients weren't blasting them back into oblivion.

"We cannot interfere in the un-Ascended matters. Michael is not an Ascended and Parath has not made a hostile move; we are bound by our laws." The spokesperson answered calmly. I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of a bunch of 'enlightened beings.' Parath seemed to glow and began to channel energy to the Sangreal. I threw up a strong shield around me, though I was uncertain if it would hold. Michael grinned in sick fascination as he aimed. I tensed, but he did something completely unexpected. He shifted ever so slightly and aimed at Lamara who was by now standing with Kibetan, a good five feet away. I gaped in fury. Why was he aiming at her? Simple, I realized, he wanted a way to hurt me the most. I had just found my birth parents; I wasn't about to let some creep with a grudge try to kill them.

"Mom!" I yelled in desperation. As the red jewel began to pulse and discharge, I threw myself towards Lamara, one hand out in front. I could already see I wasn't going to be close enough. My fury peaked as I thought and a sudden burst of energy from my palm caught me off guard. Once, when angry at Woolsey for trying to take over Atlantis and kill us all, I had emitted small sparks of lightning that jumped around over my skin. This was different. It was a full fledged lightning bolt, crackling and thick. The air actually boomed in its wake. The large bolt cut its way across the open floor and intercepted the red glow. The two merged then the lightning seemed to overwhelm the red and shot back to the jewel. Parath must have still been connected to it, because the lightning followed the trace of power and slammed into him, now with a foreboding hint of red in it. Parath let out a brief scream and vanished. My eyes widened visibly. I had only meant to stop him, not kill him. Michael, by this time, had dropped the jewel and grabbed at a sword at his belt.

"I got this sword from Parath before we came. Figured the fighter in you couldn't resist a swordfight. Unless you plan on shooting an unarmed man?" Michael knew I wouldn't do that. I'd definitely consider it, but I wouldn't actually kill someone who wasn't threatening others. I drew Excalibur, exciting a flurry of murmured remarks and muted exclamations from the surrounding Ancients. I hefted the sword up and readied myself. Michael dove forward, using his hybrid Wraith speed. He didn't, however, know of my improved reflexes. I sidestepped easily and blocked his wild swing. His strength was greater, but I managed to use my weight effectively. He whirled and slammed his blade into mine. I instantly reacted by sliding Excalibur down and throwing my elbow into Michael's face. He stumbled back slightly and struck out again with his sword. We spent the next few minutes continuing to spar, and I was becoming thankful that I had continued my bantos lessons with Teyla. I finally managed to anticipate and react fast enough to one of Michael's swings that I flipped his sword out his hands, neatly disarming him. I immediately flicked my sword to his throat, resisting the temptation to impale him. Michael still smiled grimly. "Come on, Colonel Sheppard. Can't you finish the job? Can't the slaughterer of thousands of Wraith kill just one more? Are you afraid?"

"No." I decided after a second's hesitation. "I'm not like you, Michael. I won't play your game."

"Then what are you going to do? Release me?" He asked confidently. I shook my head.

"I'm going to do this." I raised my free hand and, nowhere near as gently as I had with Beckett, reached for his DNA and twisted. Once I was sure I had it right, I shoved the change into him, changing him permanently into human. "No more living in both worlds, Michael. You're completely and permanently human. And this time, you keep your memories. No claiming ignorance of past deeds as an excuse not to punish you."

"No!" I had obviously surprised the now dismayed Michael. The Doctor walked up to me, curious.

"You are a soldier; you have killed before. Why did you let him live?" The Doctor questioned quietly. I stared back at him.

"I have killed before, but I've never enjoyed it. The only reason I ever kill is to prevent others from being harmed. Now that I have Excalibur, it doesn't change that. I won't stoop to Michael's or the Replicators' level. I won't become a cold-blooded murderer, especially now that I don't have to. This power means that there is always another way to protect those I care about. That's what I'm going to use it for." I explained. He nodded thoughtfully.

"What happened to… Parath, was it?" He finally thought to ask. I shrugged sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to kill him. He was attacking Lamara and I couldn't let that happen." I looked away.

"You didn't kill him." Kibetan stated. He had examined the area closely. I looked at him in confusion.

"Then what did I do? And how?" I wanted to know. He smiled and seemed slightly baffled.

"You are not a murderer, son, you are a protector. Your power knows this. You didn't set out to kill him, only stop him from hurting Mara. When the lightning struck the Sangreal, it absorbed a small amount of its power, just enough to descend Parath. I believe you sent him to a planet in the Pegasus galaxy that does not have a stargate." Kibetan concluded. He picked up the red jewel gingerly and brought it over. "Perhaps you'd better take this. I'd hate for it to fall into the wrong hands."

"This is exactly what we came to discuss, my Lord." The spokesperson reminded us all. "Col. Sheppard should not be interfering in the lower planes. We, the majority of the Council, would like to ask him…"

"Stop right there." This time it was my voice that interrupted her. She frowned in protest, but I continued. " I'm pretty sure I know where this is going. Let me guess, you want to promise not to use my powers to help Atlantis or Earth or to at least Ascend?"

"That would provide the best arrangement, Col. Sheppard." She smiled humorlessly, assuming that I was about to acquiesce. I shook my head vehemently.

"Not gonna happen, lady. I won't sit by and watch when I could be helping. And I definitely won't be ascending any time soon. I won't run away from the physical planes' problems. I'm not like you." I declared. Her eyebrows rose in shock.

"How dare you…" She began.

"No. How dare you?" I cut her off. "All of you are cowards. Who inadvertently created both the Wraith and the Replicators? Who left the people of the galaxies to defend themselves after creating them? You did. You left your little toys laying around and now they are going around killing people. And you do NOTHING! You hold yourselves in so much esteem that you can't see a way to get off your high horse and help us. I'll tell you, I was raised by humans and I was taught that you took responsibility for your actions, not run away. And that's exactly what this type of Ascension is. You sit here watching the Wraith devour innocents and the Replicators wipe out entire worlds of humans who nearly idolize you as the 'Ancestors.'"

"That's exactly why we can't do anything. We are too powerful to interfere. We can not act as gods. Every action has unforeseen consequences." She protested.

"And so you do nothing?" My voice takes on an accusing tone. "I know about consequences! I've lived them! Have you? I woke the Wraith! I woke them and now I'm doing my best to stop them. You created them and had so much technology, but you let them go. Yes they were winning the war. But you gave up! AND you didn't even protect the other peoples that you started. The Satedans, the Athosians, the Hoffans, the Manarians, even the Genii didn't deserve to be terrorized by Wraith for ten thousand years. You could have stopped it all. But you didn't even try. The thing about screwing up is that it means you're human. You people think you're better than the rest of us and so you can't even take a chance. You don't want to screw up. At least when Kibetan and Lamara broke one of your laws they had the integrity of seeing it through. They did what they thought was right and to hell with the consequences. They protected me from you."

"A decision that was highly illegal at the time, may I remind you?" The spokesperson shot back. I narrowed my eyes. This… woman… was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Yes, it was illegal. They had a child and you decided to condemn them for it. Get over yourselves. You created Replicators which have done more damage than I would or could ever do. And you sat by and watched as the Ori, your counterparts who were on the same plane as you, used a galaxy's people to kill and torture others for not worshipping them. They were planning on taking you out and you did nothing. Their greed made the Azgard self-destruct so that their technology wouldn't fall into enemy hands. The Azgard were your equals and allies. When will you finally that enough is enough and step in? Before or after the bad guys of the universe kill you all? Because I'm telling you this: the universe is teeming with ambitious, bloodthirsty bastards all waiting to destroy people weaker than them. And if you don't stand up to them sometimes, you'll be just as bad as they are." My tone was unforgiving. The Ancients were suffering from a major superiority complex. They needed to be taken down a notch or two. "When you screw something up, you try your damnedest to set it right. You don't run away. So no, I won't Ascend. And if you want to say, who is the bad guy when we are all trying to survive and the Wraith just happen to feed on humans, don't. We gave them a way out. We created the retrovirus, something that nearly turned me into a bug in its early stages, but we tried until we got it right. They weren't happy to be just simple humans. Face it, the Wraith get off on being the top of the food chain in this galaxy. Sometimes a species or parts of a species can be pure evil, including humans. They have to be stopped."

"And I think all of you know how I feel. I made my opinions on this matter quite clear during my conversation with Morgan le Fay in Atlantis before we destroyed the Ori. You have to start living again, not hiding behind glowy forms or mysterious secrets. You have to stand up for something or you'll never clear your conscience of your mistakes. You can't live in the closet. The Ancients are one of the most powerful races left in our universe. Don't let that power go to waste. It's why I descended twice from this plane. It's just not worth the knowledge if you can't share it." Daniel was quite a bit gentler than mine. "And your confidence in your powers and immortality will be your downfall."

"I agree." A voice came from behind me. I glanced back and nearly fell over in shock. It was none other than Captain Helia, the Ancient who had booted us out of Atlantis when we found her. She had been killed before we could wrest the city away from the control of the Replicators and had obviously ascended. Her support was completely unexpected. She stood as a sign of her backing. I looked around the room. Teer and the other villagers had quickly followed suit. Reluctantly, the captain's crew followed her. Another mass movement stunned me. I found myself looking at the entire crew of the Ancient warship Aurora. All of them were smiling and nodding respectfully. I was glad to see that, though their minds were inside a virtual environment and their bodies incredibly old and only sustained by stasis pods, they had managed to ascend. I grinned and gave a half-salute. Their sacrifice had taken out two Wraith cruisers and saved the Deadalus. I definitely owed them one. Another brown-haired woman stood, attracting Daniel's attention.

"That's Aiyanna. She saved SG-1 back when they defrosted her, at the cost of her own life. Of course, Oma's probably still busy with Anubis and Morgan le Fay is busy with Adria, but I think that's Merlin." Daniel whispered excitedly, pointing to a grey-haired man who nodded at Daniel in understanding. They obviously knew each other. I watched as several others stood to show their silent support as well. Obviously the Council was not as old-fashioned as I had thought. Then another cursory glance revealed yet another cluster of Ascended standing together. Daniel broke out into a wild grin. They looked like no more than boys. One of them detached from the rest and came walking down to see us. When he reached us, he gave a full military salute. This kid knew Earth military procedure? Daniel grabbed the boy in a bear hug. "Ska'ra! You're here! O'Neill said that Oma helped, but I wasn't sure."

"Yes, Dan-el. We are fine." The boy reassured him in stilted English with a heavy accent. He was very young and had hair that reminded me of Ronon. "We all managed to Ascend."

"Good. I'm glad the others let you stay." Daniel turned to me. "Col. Sheppard, this is Ska'ra. He's an Abydonian. His planet, Abydos was the first place we ever visited with the stargate. In fact I stayed there when Jack and the others returned. I was married to Sha're, Ska'ra's sister. Ska'ra was the former host to a Goa'uld named Kor-el, but the Tollan removed it, restoring Ska'ra. Then Anubis destroyed Abydos with the Eyes, powerful jewels that combined to create a powerful super weapon. I think I tried to stop him, but the others punished me for interfering. So Oma found the third option. She helped the entire village on Abydos Ascend. Or at least that's what Jack said happened. I was a little indisposed at the time."

"Yes, we are all fine, Dan-el. We are safe." Ska'ra repeated. I looked back up at the leader of the Council meeting, taking back up where I left off.

"You might also want to remember one important fact, ma'am." I added slightly ominous. "I control Excalibur now. You said you'd let me draw it and I have. To destroy me in punishment for using it would be quite hypocritical, now wouldn't it? And then there's the fact that none of you know for certain how strong I am. It would send the wrong kind of message if it backfired."

"I see." The spokesperson's gaze narrowed in frustration, but finally relaxed in defeat. "Very well, you may continue to act as you see fit. It seems a large part of the Council has agreed with your thoughts on our position. Your words will no doubt give cause for many discussions in the days to come. You are free to go."

"Thank you." I respond gratefully. Maybe now the Ancients would get off the pedestal they seemed to hold themselves on and actually do something about the Wraith. The spokesperson turned to the Doctor and bowed.

"It is an honor to have the last Time Lord in existence grace our universe. The knowledge you must possess is formidable. You may stay in this universe as long as you wish." The spokesperson offered graciously. The Doctor chuckled in amusement.

"I'm afraid I'm not your average Time Lord. I didn't do the whole non-interference thing so well. They kicked me out. But don't worry, Sheppard here is keeping an eye on me while I'm staying here. He'll keep me out of trouble." The Doctor replied confidently. I struggled to hold back a snort. Yeah, I wasn't exactly the one to keep trouble away. It usually found its way to me. I took hold of the Doctor's shoulder and bid the Ancients a quick farewell before he could get us in trouble. Daniel took the chance to say his goodbyes to his friends.

"We really ought to be going now." I insisted, bowing my head respectively. I grabbed the human Michael roughly and offered my hand to Lamara. She took it gracefully, leaving Kibetan with Daniel and the Doctor again. We teleported back to my parent's house. Sol followed and made himself useful by guarding Michael while we said goodbye. "Well, that was fun. NOT. I really don't blame you for getting out of there when you were ascended, Daniel. No offense, Kibetan, Lamara."

"None taken, son. As I told Ronon, we are the rulers, but even we must answer to the Council. And while some of the neutral voters were swayed by your speech, many others are set in their ways. They won't listen no matter how many times you threaten to bash their heads into a wall. Go figure." Kibetan smirked and shrugged easily. Oh yeah, I was definitely his son.

"Kian! Will you stop using violent threats?! It's not going to do anything but stir up the pacifists." Lamara sighed. I added my smirk to my father's. She rolled her eyes. "I swear, you two are like a couple of Cheshire cats. And always up to something!"

"How do you know about Alice in Wonderland references? That's an odd Earth thing to know about." Daniel frowned. Lamara stifled a small chuckle. I groaned, knowing exactly why such a comment would be funny to her.

"Don't tell me you were watching then?!" I griped, inciting the others to stare at me. I answered their unasked questions. "When I was ten, my kid cousin, who was named Alice by her parents, was obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. She would dress like her and even had a pet cat she called Cheshire. Every time she came over, she brought that movie over. And, as a 'proper gentleman,' I was expected to entertain her while our parents talked. So we watched the movie. Over and over and over. I hated Alice in Wonderland."

"And you two were watching him?" The Doctor questioned. Lamara nodded.

"Yes. As Ascended, we weren't allowed to have children and John would have been killed or wiped from existence as a baby if we hadn't given him up. The Ori would have attacked in all out war if they had found out. So we contented ourselves to keeping an eye on him from a distance. And Kian found John's reaction to his cousin's fascination hilarious." Lamara explained and Kibetan gave a wide grin. I frowned in annoyance. Great. "He hid her movie while she was out of the room and told her that, since she knew the movie so well anyway, that she should go outside and look for a rabbit hole. He told her that he found it once but wasn't exactly sure where it was. Their backyard was quite expansive and it took Alice the entire visit to figure out that he was pulling her leg. Meanwhile, John called a few buddies, told them to bring the wild rabbits they'd caught and release them in the yard, then he sat up in a tree to watch the fun."

"It was an impressive display of misdirection, stealth, patience, and discipline for a ten year old. He never even talked. The girl was absolutely furious, but her parents blamed it on an overactive imagination. John got away scot free. It was excellent strategy." Kibetan announced proudly. I gave a shrug and a sheepish grin. Well I did have a much more interesting time than usual. It was worth her anger.

"Wow. That's a bit complicated for someone so young." Daniel tried not to smile. "No wonder you went into the military. Sounds like you were a regular tactician."

"Hey it worked didn't it?" I pointed out. At their amused looks I turned back to my parents. "I can't believe you watched that and didn't do anything."

"Well, your father wanted to actually make a rabbit hole that led to a different plane where her imagination was real, but I convinced him that the others would take notice." Mara admitted. I grinned and looked at my watch.

"Dang. Seeing as I'm not a TARDIS and can't travel in time, we better get going. Don't worry about Michael. Atlantis can handle him. And I know Beckett will want a word with him." I reluctantly said goodbye. I hugged Lamara and Kibetan, figuring that they deserved a little chance to feel like parents. "Come on guys. We'll take the portal upstairs to Atlantis, then I'll teleport Daniel back to the SGC. I'm not sure I want to take three people at once yet."

"Goodbye, son. Be careful." Kibetan grew a little tender. "And never forget, you have a good heart. Don't let anyone tell you differently. We are extremely proud."

"Thanks." I shifted anxiously under the praise. Finally we managed to get all up the stairs and through to Atlantis. The Doctor left quickly to catch up with McKay and his projects, while I had Maj. Lorne take Michael to our brig until we could decide what to do with him. Lastly, I took Daniel back to the SGC. I was glad he had been there to see the Ascended Council. I was sure that some things were going to change, judging by the amount of support I'd had and the positive reactions to my impromptu speech.

* * *

It was two weeks later before the ramifications of my actions came about. I was once again called to the control room, this time to greet the glowing form of Teer. She smiled and I waved the guards away. "Hello Teer."

"Hello John. It's good to see you so soon." She responded warmly. "I come with important news."

"What's up?" I asked, concerned. She shook her head.

"It's nothing to be worried about. It's more of a gift really. We were talking one day and realized that Kibetan and Lamara had never given you a birthday present in your entire life. We all got together to get you something." She sounded excited.

"Kibetan and Lamara protected me for my entire life. I don't need a present to feel loved." I assured her. Teer again shook her head.

"I wouldn't speak so quickly. With the Council divided on the issue of interference, we took the chance and offered up our idea to the Council. We won by a landslide. In fact, many of the others felt it was the perfect thank you, though I got the assignment of giving it to you." Teer raised a hand and a warm light started swirling at the floor. It began to move upwards, growing taller. I stared at in fascination. "And you should know to never believe all that you hear."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wondered out loud. Teer smiled.

"It means that we found your gift randomly floating around space looking for Atlantis after attempting a machine-like Ascension. It didn't work so well, so I'm giving her back the body she had right before you last saw her. I can do no more." Teer explained. Her? Who was she talking about? I looked closely at the golden glow. My heart started to beat faster. Certainly not…? Could it be? "Lamara said to remind you to always attempt to talk. She said you'd figure out what she meant."

"Who is it?" I was burning to know. I had my suspicions, but finally the glow dissipated, leaving me stunned. A familiar brunette with emerald eyes and a soft expression looked around slowly and unsteadily. Her eyes met mine and she gave a faint smile. She cleared her throat.

"John?" She called softly, swaying with dizziness. I was instantly at her side. There were no words that I could use to describe the feeling of happiness and satisfaction that swept through me. I shot her a cocky grin and caught her as the strain from going as a electrical disturbance to a flesh and blood human hit home. She fainted dead away.

"Hello, Elizabeth." I whispered quietly. The room was abuzz. Teer had vanished somewhere along the way, leaving us in the middle of the gate room clinging to one another. I stared into her face, memorizing it, and started to feel very possessive. I'd already let one race take her from me, I would never let another have a try at it. I swore to protect the fragile and sensitive Dr. Elizabeth Weir from all harm and thanked the 'Ancestors' (it was actually literal in my case). They had brought her back to me against all odds.

* * *

A/N: Oooh! We all know that that would be Shep's favorite birthday present of all time. And I had a really good time writing the lecture with the Ascended. If you can't tell, I get really ticked off by their attitude toward people and the galaxies, especially when they created most of the problems yet the people of the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies are forced to pay the price. Lazy bums. Not Kibetan or Lamara, they redeemed themselves through saving their son instead of doing what was expected: turning him in to die. Tell me what you think and accept my heartfelt apologies for being a week late (if it really bugged you, get a life. I have one and it takes a bit of work to fit in my writing). I may be late next week as well due to Easter and time constraints on writing time. See you soon and keep reading!

A/N2: Woohoo! 50,000 words and counting! This is way longer than I first envisioned. It was originally a one shot of Sang Real and a few sequels to create a series. That's kind of out of the window now, but there are still other stories that will exist in this universe, including King of Dragons under NCIS. It doesn't have any of these characters yet, but there will be a sequel with a crossover with Mitchell some day (it's still an idea).


	12. Protector

A/N: This was one of the hardest chapters to write for me. Warning: if you don't like Shweir skip this, trust me. And I admit I'm a hopelessly idealistic romantic. Oh well. Hopefully you don't think I've gone too far.

**Protector**

"Beckett!" I called as I carried the limp form of Elizabeth Weir into the infirmary. The Scottish doctor was in his office, working.

"Oh, hello, Colonel. I was meaning to call you I've discovered something I need to talk to you about." Beckett walked out, absorbed in a readout on his PDA. When he finally looked up, his mouth dropped open in amazement. "What's going on here?"

"It's Elizabeth. Teer and the other Ancients got together and convinced the Council to bring her back. She wasn't dead." I told him happily, depositing Weir in an infirmary bed. Beckett automatically moved to check her out. "Is she all right?"

"Aye, Col." Beckett nodded and motioned to several nurses. They immediately walked up with a gurney. "I just want to take a scan to be sure. I'd heard stories of Elizabeth being captured and killed, but I wasn't there. I'll need Doctor Keller to advise me on the medical history that I missed."

"Well for a start, she'll need to be checked for nanites." Dr. Keller walked in, pulling on gloves. Beckett turned, his eyes widening.

"Bloody hell! They wouldn't have infected her with another virus, would they?" Beckett looked ready to order a quarantine.

"Teer wouldn't let that happen." I protested. Dr. Keller shook her head and exchanged an ashamed glance with McKay, who had just run in to see if the amazingly quick and legendary Atlantis gossip chain was correct. His eyes got large and his mouth dropped open. McKay was speechless? Oh, this was the best day ever. I forced my mind back to my argument with the doctors.

"I was in Carter's office talking to her about our next supply run when Teer showed up. She said that she gave Dr. Weir back the body she had right before we last saw her. That probably means that the nanites we gave her are still there. So therefore we need to check to see if they're still active." Keller explained. Now it was Carson's turn to be horrified.

"Why in God's name would you have put bloody nanites in Elizabeth? Are you crazy?!" Beckett was beyond horrified; he was furious. Keller lowered her head in shame.

"It's not her fault; don't blame Jennifer. I convinced her it was the only way." McKay defended Keller. I raised my eyebrows. So now it was Jennifer, huh? The future was looking better all the time.

"What could have possibly happened that you needed nanites? Were you out of your bloody mind, Rodney?" Beckett scolded McKay. He flushed.

"It was the only thing we could try. The Replicators attacked and she was in an accident. A window exploded behind her." Keller broke in. "She was in a coma, Carson. There was swelling on her brain. I know I was new here and that it was a dumb thing to do, but I stand by my decision. Rodney made nanites that would serve as the damaged tissue but couldn't rewrite their programming to get them to make new, organic tissue. And he couldn't prevent their interactivity. So instead he wrote in a kill switch. Everything would have been okay if we hadn't been stranded in the middle of nowhere when our ZPM failed in our attempt to escape the Replicator weapon. She volunteered to go and provide SG-1 backup and an advantage at the Replicator homeworld."

"We got too ambitious. She got captured saving us from Oberoth. She told us to leave her behind." I concluded, looking at Elizabeth. We had come so close to losing her. In fact… we had. But she was back and, if I had any say, she was back for good. "When we met her clone almost a year ago, she said that the real Elizabeth was dead. But she must have been wrong. That's what Teer meant when she said you shouldn't believe everything you're told."

"Let's get her under a scanner then." Beckett waved the nurses towards the scanner room while Keller trailed behind. I was interrupted by two marines who were led by Sergeant Bates. The uptight security officer saluted.

"We heard there was an intruder in the control room, sir." He stood at attention. I sighed.

"At ease, Bates. It was just the Ascended Teer. She brought back Dr. Weir. Everything's under control." I assured him. He frowned and his eyes narrowed.

"I'd like to stay here, sir. Just in case." He asked. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was the Sang Real for God's sake; I think I could handle anything that Elizabeth or the possible nanites inside her could throw at us. Sometimes Bates' methods, though valuable as the Head of Security, were totally unrealistic and ridiculous.

"Fine. Just don't get an itchy trigger finger. It is Dr. Weir after all." I reminded him. He nodded.

"Of course, sir." He responded. I paced back and forth under the watchful eyes of McKay and Ronon, who had arrived. Teyla was unfortunately visiting New Athos, finally settling the Athosians back into their old home after their long ordeal at the hands of Michael. Ronon was dividing his attention between my movement, Sgt. Bates and his men, and the frequent people who were drifting by the infirmary looking to see Dr. Weir again. His glare prevented them from persistently popping in and demanding to know if Weir was back. It was barely ten minutes later when Beckett, Keller, and the gurney containing Elizabeth came strolling back into the main infirmary.

"Well, the nanites appear to be there. I can't say if they're communicating, but they are pretty well-spread and bonded to her organic cells. They're still serving as replacement tissue in her brain, though, so that will make removal difficult. I'll need Rodney to see if he can access their programming." Keller reported as they transferred Elizabeth back to an infirmary bed. I walked over to stand by her despite disapproving looks from the nurses. I saw a slight movement in the corner of my eye, but I was captivated by a sudden increase in the hum in my mind. I connected the dots and looked over at McKay.

"I think the nanites are telepathic." I told him. His brow furrowed.

"How do you know?" He reached for his data pad. I shook my head.

"When I first went inside the Doctor's TARDIS, it talked, but later it quieted down to a dull hum in the back of my mind, just like Atlantis is. I've never had a chance to explore it further, but the hum when I stand here is double what it usually is. I think they have a mental component." I tried to explain. McKay looked skeptical. Bates' actions, however, were more alarming. He took a gun from one of the marines that I hadn't noticed before but recognized immediately as one of the newer ARGs. He was going to shoot Elizabeth!

"Sir, we need to make sure that the Replicators can't track or control her." Bates informed me. He raised the gun slightly. My eyes involuntarily widened in surprise. I reacted violently.

"NO!" I ordered and threw up a shield around Elizabeth and myself, forcing the nurses and doctors to back up or be shoved into the equipment. Bates raised the gun completely. I strengthened the shield, making it ripple in a purple wave. He hesitated. "Sergeant! Stand down! Dr. Weir is not a threat."

"You can't know that, sir." He insisted. I nearly growled in frustration.

"Always attempt to talk." Dr. Keller's random comment silenced our growing anger and focused us on her. She saw our looks and blushed in embarrassment. "It's what Teer said Lamara's message was. Maybe she wanted you to talk to the nanites before trying to get rid of them."

"See?" I pointed out. "Give me a chance to talk before you go shooting the former leader of this entire expedition, Bates."

"I can stun him if you want, Sheppard." Ronon offered. I smirked.

"Thanks, Ronon, but that won't be necessary." I glanced meaningfully at Bates. He almost grimaced and lowered his gun. "Good."

"How will you talk to them?" McKay questioned, ever curious. I shrugged.

"Not sure. I'll figure something out along the way." I grabbed a chair that was inside of the shield and sat down. After making absolutely sure that the shield wouldn't fail if I was unable to consciously think about it for a while, I leaned forward and took Elizabeth's hand. Didn't want a trigger happy marine shooting either of us. Finally ready, I looked Elizabeth over and mentally searched for that familiar hum coming from her. There! I'd found it inside of my own mind. I sat up straight and used my mind to follow the hum back to its source. My mind brushed something and I pressed forward. A sudden wave of noise overwhelmed me and, in the outside world, my eyes flew open and my entire body slumped into the chair, catatonic. My mind's eye whited out.

* * *

"Hello, John Sheppard." A cacophony of voices awakened me from my unconsciousness. My eyes flicked open and I forced myself into full awareness. There was no telling if the nanites, as I assumed they were, were friendly or had the mindset of their Replicator cousins. I looked around and noted the typical architecture of Atlantean design with one oddity: the room was completely empty. I was alone. But who was talking then?

"Who are you?" I asked to the air.

"We are many. We are nanites." The voices rose and fell together and I felt the beginnings of a headache. There were so many that it was hurting to hear them all try to talk at once. "We are Dr. Weir's nanites."

"Can you quiet down? Or just pick one of you to speak? It's a bit painful to hear all of you at once." I pointed out. There was a short pause and then movement. A door slid open and a small black-haired girl came walking in. She gave a big smile. I was instantly reminded of Elizabeth. This girl looked like she would have at age eight. "Hi."

"Hello. You are Lt. Col. John Sheppard." The girl sat in an available chair and swung her legs back and forth, much like a real eight year old would do. She was still smiling. "I'm an avatar created by all the nanites to speak for them in this mindscape. What do you need to know?"

"Are you a danger? Will you try and hurt Atlantis or its people?" I cut right to the chase. The girl looked shocked.

"No! We'd never do that!" She insisted immediately. "We were programmed by the Ancients to protect Elizabeth Weir from all harm. And unlike our kind called Replicators, we know that there is a difference between Elizabeth's body and her soul. If we were to hurt anyone or anything it would hurt her soul. She'd never forgive us. We are no threat to anyone Col. Sheppard."

"How?" I thought about Teer's happy smile and knowing look. Had they had the foresight to correct Rodney's programming errors? "What exactly is your programming?"

"We are to help Dr. Weir with anything she asks us that we can accomplish. We are to protect her at all cost and are enabled to replicate to provide a homeostatic level of nanites in her system at all times to prepare for any danger. We are not allowed to hurt her in any way, body, soul, or memories. We are able to interface with Weir's mind to facilitate communication. And most importantly, we are designed to care." The girl explained. I cocked my head to the side.

"How can nanites care? How are you sentient?" I asked. She shrugged.

"You got me. The way we see it, the Replicators were made to hate the Wraith and became outraged at their attempted destruction at the hands of the Ancients; how different is it to give us the ability to care about our charge, our mother?" She speculated calmly. I raised my eyebrows at this comment. They saw Elizabeth as their mother? Interesting. Creepy, but still interesting. "We will fix any damage that she incurs, even aging, as long as we have enough nanites."

"Wait a second, Elizabeth won't age?" I frowned at this. It sounded great, but who really wanted to never grow old? They'd see everyone around them die and be left alone. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"Lamara was hesitant with the extent of our healing, but decided that it would be for the best." The girl defended. I sighed. That made things complicated. If my mother was in favor of this then there must have been some reason for it.

"Fine. If I think you're doing anything threatening I'll stop you. And I can." I promised. The girl nodded solemnly.

"We know, Sang Real. We know." She answered. I looked around as the room started to fade. "Weir is beginning to wake up. We can not sustain this mindscape without permission from her. Please do not destroy us for you will destroy her. And we may not act against you for that act would damage her soul. She would never be the same if she felt she was the reason for our self-defense and actions. We may not act to protect ourselves against Atlanteans."

"I will protect her." I bowed my head and let my eyes closed. When the light cleared I found myself collapsed in the chair where I had been before my journey into the mindscape. I blinked my real eyes slowly and began to stretch. Everyone tensed and stood at the boundary of my shield.

"Col.? Are you OK?" Beckett asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Carson." I reassured him.

"You would say that if you were missing a leg, Sheppard." Rodney huffed out. I rolled my eyes.

"Rodney, I'm fine. I talked to the nanites." I told him. He rushed forward, nearly colliding with the shield.

"Talked to them? How? What'd they say?" He was fascinated. I looked over at Ronon and Bates.

"Bates, you can stand down now. They're not a threat. Ronon, make sure Bates doesn't get any ideas." I made sure to get confirmation before I allowed the shield to dissipate. When it was gone McKay nearly tripped trying to scan Elizabeth with a hand scanner. "They must possess a telepathic interface like I thought. They created a 'mindscape' to talk to me. It was just a plain empty room, but then they sent a little girl as an avatar. It looked just like Elizabeth. The weird part? They see her as their mother figure."

"Seriously?" Rodney looked thoughtful. "That would be useful, huh? Having a bunch of nanites adore you as their mother? That way they would be unwilling to hurt her or disobey her."

"It's more than that. They're programmed to do whatever they can to help her. They're programmed to care. But the creepy part? They say that Lamara asked them to keep her from aging. I can't figure out why." I ran a hand through my hair. The puzzle of Elizabeth's immortality didn't detract from the joy I felt at her return. Beckett, however, looked stunned.

"Ach. They're good, aren't they?" He shook his head slowly and continued. "That was the thing I needed to talk to you about. I've been studying your ability to heal and I've come to the conclusion that, unless you are instantly killed or overwhelmed quickly, your body will not suffer the effects of aging, either."

"Of course!" McKay snapped his fingers. "Then your death would probably lead to you Ascending anyway. Lamara made it where both you and Elizabeth would live forever."

"Why would she do that?" I stared at him in confusion. He rolled his eyes.

"Really, Col. They're your parents, aren't they? Which means that they've been watching you. Hell, I'm not even Ascended and I can tell that you're crazy about her. Lamara isn't stupid." He pointed out. I flushed in embarrassment. Was I that obvious?

"He's right." Ronon ended the discussion. I was thankful when Bates had enough tact to take a position outside of the room. That left the three who must have arrived while I was talking to the nanites: Woolsey, Carter, and the Doctor. It was rare to see Carter without seeing O'Neill these days, but I assumed he was busy. Or something.

"You know, Carson, I think you'd better wait outside." I apologized. He nodded sadly. At the others looks he explained.

"To Elizabeth I'm dead. Her Carson was killed and she doesn't know about me. The stress of seeing me may be too much for her already fragile mental state. I'll wait until you tell me to come back in." He sighed and walked out the door.

"So…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say to the inflexible IOA representative and the new expedition leader. Of course, the Doctor already knew of my feelings towards Weir.

"John?" A soft voice interrupted my attempt at an explanation. I whipped my head around. Elizabeth was yawning and rubbing her eyes as she sat up. She blinked in disbelief. "I'm in Atlantis?"

"Yes." I walked to her side. "Do you know what happened?"

"I was…" She suddenly looked away, ashamed. I squeezed her hand in encouragement. She finally met my eyes. She was nearly in tears. "I was with the Replicators. There was a rebel faction that Nareem started. They were interested in Ascension, so they 'rescued' me from Oberoth. Since I couldn't exactly come back to Atlantis with the Replicators, if I'd even been able to figure out where you went, and they were generally interested in Ascending, I decided to try to help. We discovered a way to translate our minds into electrical energy. The others were hasty and did not fully understand what it would mean to proceed with such an experiment. We all 'Ascended,' but it was not the true thing. We were stuck, drifting in space with no bodies. Then… somehow I got here. And in a real body."

"Teer gave you a helping hand." I offered helpfully. Her brow furrowed.

"The woman you helped to Ascend? She's allowed to do that?" Elizabeth asked. I smirked. We had a lot of catching up to do.

"It's a long story." I told her. Everyone found a seat as we jointly filled her in on who I was and why Teer was helping her out. "So my mother convinced the Council to send you back."

"Except they sent you back with the nanites still inside you." Bates accused from the door. Ronon looked like he was about to hit the guy. I glared indignantly.

"I've already told you, Bates, the nanites are reprogrammed by the Ancients. They're perfectly safe." I protested. A soft touch distracted me. Elizabeth had taken my hand in her own.

"It's okay, Col. Sheppard. You don't have to defend me. He's probably right to fear the nanites. I have spent more than a year in their company." She pointed out. I squeezed her hand slightly.

"I will always protect you." I vowed, mustering all the feelings that I could never express openly into that one statement. But then, Dr. Weir was well known for her ability to see beyond the words to the heart of the matter. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She smiled softly.

"Thank you." She whispered privately. I gave her a half-smile and leaned in close to her ear.

"Anytime, every time." I told her. She blushed and her breathing hitched. I took in her face and decided to take a chance. My eyes flicked to the others and another shield popped into place. This one, however, was different. It was opaque. Then… I kissed her. When we broke apart I grinned. "Been wanting to do that a long time."

"Me too." Elizabeth admitted. I let my grin grow and then told her seriously.

"I'm glad you're back." I gave her a gentle hug. "I missed you."

A/N: So there you are. Wow, I've been swamped with work. My senior year in high school ends in less than a month and I'm more than ready for it to be over with. Sorry it took so long to get this out. I really have no idea when the next will be ready so don't hold your breath. Don't give up either because I'm still working, trust me. Keep reading. Oh! I also decided to open this up to anonymous reviews. Please don't flame me! I swear this is way sappier than I usually write and it's only because she just got back. Shep is allowed a little emotion once in awhile. :D


	13. Ghosts of the Past

A/N: Yay! Finally finished this. Took a couple days longer 'cause I had to check on a bit of research, but it's up! It's a crossover, by the way. Spoilers (once you figure out what it is) for anything during Jim and Eli era, no Sam. You'll figure it out if you know what the show is. Maybe. Sorry, for the delay, it's been hectic. I've also been working on a new kind of SGA story called Fixing Destiny, but this one finally came together.

Ghosts of the Past

"Hey." Elizabeth, wearing a stunning black dress, sat down beside me, interrupting my thoughts. I was sitting on the East Pier in my full dress uniform trying to lose myself in the waves. I really didn't want to talk, but… well it was Elizabeth after all. I turned to her and gave a faint smile of welcome. She sighed. "John, it's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything. It was a tragedy, but you couldn't have known."

"If I'd been there…" I protested. SG-13 had run into trouble off-world and a young corporal, Samuel Glanes, had been hit. Though I had gone as soon as they dialed Atlantis, it was too late. Corporal Glanes was dead. All I could do was teleport the body back. We had just had the Atlantis memorial service and had sent the body back to the SGC. I had held on to the Corporal's personal belongings, wanting to give them to his family personally.

"You don't know if you would have reacted in time! You can't know. And you can't be there for everyone, John. The people we send out there know that what they do is dangerous. They know the risks!" She shot back. I bit my lip and turned away. "John, I know that Excalibur is very powerful and you can do some amazing things, but you can't save everyone. And more importantly, you can't let the ones you do lose effect your ability to save the rest."

"I'm not!" I responded indignantly. I'd never let anything impair my ability to protect people. "I just… needed some time to think, ya know?"

"It is pretty peaceful out here, isn't it?" Elizabeth agreed after a few minutes of looking out at the water.

"Yeah." I replied but reluctantly stood. She glanced up at me quizzically. "I need to take care of something. Can you tell Sam that I went back to Earth for a bit? I need to tell Corporal Glanes' family."

"Oh, John." Elizabeth stood as well and hugged me. "You don't have to do that alone. Let me come with you."

"Elizabeth, you don't have to do this. I can do it." I shake my head. "I was his commanding officer."

"Don't be silly, John. It's not like I'm the expedition head anymore. I'm just the head negotiator and we don't have any treaties to negotiate right now. Besides, I haven't been back to Earth since I got back. I'd be honored to go with you to tell his family." She insisted. I looked at her and nodded. I took her hand and teleported us into the control tower's teleporter. I found it was easier to explain my sudden appearances without startling anyone if I used the teleporter rooms as a destination. The doors slid out and we walked up to Carter's office. She was inside talking to Mr. O'Neill. It was weird how hard it was to spit that out. I still wanted to call him General. I knocked lightly on the glass and she waved me in. O'Neill stood and sauntered past me to the door.

"And don't forget, 0830 sharp, got it, Carter? No excuses." O'Neill called over his shoulder. She blushed and I smirked.

"How's things going with Jack?" I asked, plopping myself down in the vacated chair. Elizabeth took the other one. Sam smiled over her desk.

"It's nice not to have regulations in the way. We've been trying to take it slow, but we have worked together pretty closely for almost ten years. There's not much more to learn about one another." Carter responded nonchalantly. I nodded in understanding.

"So, do you think he's gonna propose soon?" Elizabeth leaned forward. I rolled my eyes. Women. They loved to gossip. I coughed to remind her what we were here for. "Right. Col. Carter, John and I were talking and we've decided to go back to Earth to tell Corporal Glanes' family about his death. We just wanted to clear it with you."

"I assume you'll be taking the quick route back and don't need the stargate?" Carter asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, there was a photo of his hometown that he kept in his personal belongings. I can use it as a reference point. If you need us, Sol will be here. Just find him and he'll contact us." I explained.

"Then I guess there isn't anything else to say. You're cleared to leave, Col., Dr. Weir." She agreed. "I'll hold the fort down until you get back. Where did his folks live, anyway?"

"A little place called Grandview, New York. Shouldn't take too long, but I may let Elizabeth see some Earth sights since she hasn't gotten a chance to see any in over a year." I warned. Sam accepted this information and bid us good-bye. As we walked down the stairs and headed back to Corporal Glanes' quarters to pick up his personal belongings (minus any classified material of course) to take back to his folks, we saw Carson.

"I still can't get over him being here." Elizabeth told me. I smiled, remembering the joyful reunion.

* * *

"_I really ought to tell you something." I decided as I looked down at Elizabeth in the infirmary bed. "We didn't want to tell you earlier, but…"_

"_What is it, John?" Elizabeth asked. I bit my lip._

"_Well, think back to when we had those Wraith-humans on that planet. Do you remember how Dr. Beckett was down there and held prisoner by Michael?" I started. She nodded. "While he was down there, Michael managed to clone him. He took the clone and forced him to help him refine the Hoffan virus to have a higher survival rate, to poison the Wraith's feeding 'stock.' When Michael kidnapped Teyla and we went searching for her, we stumbled onto Dr. Beckett. The clone Dr. Beckett, but he was Carson. His personality, his heart, hell, even most of his memories are exactly the same. Carson, you can come in now."_

"_It's about bloody time. I was getting bored out there." Carson strolled in. Weir gasped. "Hello, lass."_

"_Carson." She said softly and sat up, throwing her legs over the side in preparation of standing. I offered her a hand and helped her to walk over to Dr. Beckett. She enveloped him in an ecstatic hug. "I thought I'd never see you again."_

* * *

"So you don't mind he's a clone?" I pointed out. She glared at me.

"Of course not! I can't exactly say anything, seeing as I spent the last year or so as a prisoner of Replicators, now can I? Besides, it's Carson. He just wasn't with us for a year or two. I'm the same way. And as for memories, well, we'll make new ones anyway. There's no need for IOA to be so uptight about him staying here. And I'm very thankful that you stepped in to stop them." She was very passionate. Carson had been (and still was) one her close friends. I grinned.

"Well, that's what I'm here for." I joked. She smiled. We finally made it to Corporal Glanes' quarters. I waved open the door and ushered her in. One of his team had already gathered his stuff and boxed it up, ready to ship back on the Deadalus. There was only one box (we did have to live in a different galaxy after all, space constraints were always an issue) and I lifted the lid up. Inside I found the picture he had of his hometown. I studied it carefully and put it back on the bock. I hefted the box up and offered my arm to Elizabeth. She took it. "Shall we?"

"Better get it over with." She replied seriously. I nodded and concentrated. When we opened our eyes we were met with the scenic town of Grandview, New York. I glanced around to make sure no one had seen us, then looked for anyone who might help us find the Glanes. My eyes were drawn to a small antique shop right off the square. It's name was The Same As It Never Was. It looked like it had been here a while. Surely the owner would know the Glanes. I pointed it out to Elizabeth.

"That looks like a good place to get directions. Come on." I motioned for her to follow me in. We walked in, finding the place almost empty. It must not have been a busy day. A woman who had curly brown hair looked up at our entrance and came over to greet us.

"Hi, my name's Melinda Gordon. How can I help you?" She asked pleasantly. I returned her greeting.

"Yes, I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir. We're looking for the Glanes family. We have their address if you could point us in the right direction?" I asked hopefully. The woman took in our official dress and came to the obvious conclusion. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed very distracted all of a sudden. Her eyes kept flicking to the area over my shoulder. Her forehead furrowed but she offered no explanation.

"Has something happened?" Melinda questioned.

"I'm afraid so. He was recently killed in a skirmish near our base. I'm his CO and I was hoping to tell his family myself." I explained. Her eyes conveyed her sympathy. She motioned for us to wait there and walked over to another woman. She outlined the situation to the new woman and led her over.

"Hello, Col. Sheppard, Dr. Weir, my name's Delia Banks. I'm a close friend of the Glanes family and I'm sorry to hear that Samuel died so suddenly. I'd be willing to go with you to break it to his mother, Mary. His father's been dead five years now." Delia offered.

"Thank you, Ms. Banks." I accepted.

"I would come, but I need to make a call. Please give Mrs. Glanes my condolences." Melinda apologized. I shook her hand and we followed Delia out to her car. Luckily she had offered to take us rather than leading us: since we teleported in, we didn't have a car to use. I noticed how Melinda seemed to turn and stand there. I didn't think she had a Bluetooth on, so who was she talking to?

"So you were his CO?" Delia chatted while she drove. "Where are you stationed?"

"Actually it's classified." I looked over at her apologetically. She would need the President's security clearance to find out about the stargate.

"Ah. Got it, right." She seemed to understand. It didn't take long for us to get there and we quickly got the sad event over with. I left the personal belonging box with his mother after trying to comfort the poor women. She had just lost her son. Elizabeth finally stepped in and said some words. She's a lot better at that than I am. We decided that, since Delia didn't know we didn't have a car, that we better get a ride back with her and teleport from somewhere private off the square. Couldn't draw too many questions. Though that didn't stop Delia from asking them. "So… do you have to do this a lot? Notifying the family, I mean?"

"Well, our base does face quite a bit of hostile activity, so there are casualties. But we are fortunate that we don't lose more good men." Dr. Weir replied diplomatically. I gritted my teeth. I really disliked nosy people (I reserved hatred for people like Michael and Kolya; they really put dislike into perspective). Delia continued to ask questions until we pulled up in front of the antique shop.

"Well, we better go. Got to get back to base." I broke in.

"Really? Why don't you come in? I'm sure Melinda would want to say goodbye." Delia offered. I glanced over at Elizabeth and sighed. Well, she had wanted to visit Earth. Hopefully the inside of an antique shop would do.

"Just for a little while. We do have other things to attend to." I allowed her to pull us back into the shop. What I saw made me immediately suspicious. It seemed that Melinda's call had been to two other men. They turned as we entered.

"Oh, you're back! Col. Sheppard, this is my husband, Jim Clancy and a close friend, Prof. Eli James. Jim, Eli, this is Lt. Col. John Sheppard and Dr. Elizabeth Weir. They were the ones who told me about the Glanes boy." Melinda introduced us. I relaxed a hair. So it was her husband, huh? I looked the black-haired guy over. He didn't seem threatening and I didn't sense anything out of the normal. Her next words startled me though. "I know this may sound strange, but Eli and I need to talk to you about Corporal Glanes. He wants to tell you that you need to forgive yourself. You're not to blame for his death."

"Right…" I trailed off, staring at her. She was nuts. I leaned over and grabbed Elizabeth's arm. I pulled her towards the door, not turning my back on the people who thought they could talk to ghosts. Don't get me wrong, we'd seen a lot of freaky stuff… but ghosts? "Well, it was nice meeting you folks. Elizabeth, let's go."

"Wait!" Melinda started following us. It looked like she was splitting her attention with chasing us and a blank space beside her. Yep, crazy.

"Nope, we're leaving." I turned to open the door.

"He says to say Atlantis!" She called as my hand reached out. I paused, careful not to betray my tension. I looked over my shoulder.

"You mean the city that's supposedly hidden underwater? Yeah right lady." I chuckled lightly. She shook her head.

"No, the one that's in the Pegasus galaxy. The one that's now floating on top of the water after you both raised it over five years ago and changed planets over a year ago. That Atlantis." She shot back. I froze, staring at Elizabeth. Elizabeth's face was filled with caution and a healthy dose of fear. This had better not be the same as the last time some strange woman that knew all about Atlantis approached me. That one had turned out to be a Replicator. I reluctantly turned, resting my hand on Excalibur. At least I was never unarmed with Excalibur as a pen. I could carry it anywhere discreetly. Then again, I was able to make lightning with my hands, so it was a moot point.

"And so what, you think aliens are real too?" I asked dryly. She turned to the side and seemed to listen then recoiled.

"They what?!" She looked like she was gonna be sick. "He says they're called Wraith and that in your briefing you called them life-sucking alien vampires. Please tell me he's joking."

"He's not." Elizabeth spoke up. I raised my eyebrows at her and she shrugged. "So… you talk to ghosts."

"Yes. I actually had to call in Eli to help. You have quite a few ghosts following you around, Col. Sheppard. And strangely enough, they all tend to want to thank you or tell you that it's not your fault." Melinda answered gently. I exchanged a glance with Elizabeth.

"Maybe we better talk, miss. About the fact you know about a top secret government base." I said nonchalantly. She blushed and wrung her hands nervously. Obviously not a trained agent of the Trust then.

"I'm sorry. It's the only way I could get you to listen. Kate said that I had to get your attention or you'd think I was crazy and teleport out of here. So while Delia took you and Corporal Glanes to see his family, I talked to the others. I called Eli up when I realized how many ghosts were following you. You see, Eli just recently had a near death experience and can now hear ghosts, but not see them. He's been busy dealing with a Colonel Sumner who is insisting on being heard. I take it he was used to being in charge?" She explained. I grimaced while Elizabeth managed to nod. Then I latched on to what Melinda had said.

"Kate's here? And Sumner?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded.

"Maybe you better sit down." She offered. I sighed. This woman did sound like she knew what she was talking about. And we'd seen stranger things, myself and Colonel Mitchell included. I ruffled my hair (I tended to do that a lot now that I thought about it).

"You got a picture of a room inside your house or your backyard?" I finally decided. She frowned and stared at me as if I was crazy. "Hey, you see ghosts? Well... I have a different set of talents."

"Right. Kate started filling me in on that, but said you'd probably rather tell me yourself. Said you were pretty private usually." She nodded and went to get the photo. I took a quick glance at it and offered my arm to Elizabeth.

"Ms. Banks, are you coming?" I put a hand out to Melinda, her husband, and Professor James. Delia shook her head.

"I better stick around here and take care of the shop. I'm sure Melinda will fill me in all the juicy details later. The declassified version anyway." Delia waved. I took the chance and teleported us to Melinda's house.

"Wow. That was… amazing. How did you do that?" Eli seemed intrigued by my method of transport.

"It's a lot quicker than driving places, especially when you live in another galaxy." I pointed out. Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Our ensuing explanation was interesting to say the least. Melinda told us all about her grandmother and how she crossed ghosts over into 'the light' and Eli added his bit. Elizabeth and I then had the daunting task of summing up over fifteen years of SGC/Atlantis history along with my unusual parentage. "And then Corporal Glanes died on that mission. So I'm here, doing my job. My least favorite part."

"Corporal Glanes was proud to have served with you. He and a lot of other men." She smiled as she listed off the names of the ghosts who had stuck around to tell me thanks, including several that I had lost our first year in Atlantis. Her eyes seemed drawn to the corner of the room where I assumed that the ghosts were crossing over. Good, then they had found peace. Her next words worried me though. "Maybe you better sit down for the last few."

"Why? Who is it?" I asked warily. She waved us to a couch and went to a table to pick up a piece of paper. She seemed to listen for a second then wrote something down. She paused.

"What do you mean it's gotta be more loopy?" She lifted her eyebrows at thin air. "Well, it'll have to do. Here, Col., he wanted me to give you this."

"What is it?" I took the paper from her and looked at it closely. It was a gate address. And it was for Atlantis as the point of origin. "What's this for?"

"He says it's the planet where you can find his body. He wants you to bring it back for his grandmother and cousins. That way he can join his parents on the other side." She responded softly. I froze.

"No." I whispered. It couldn't be, it shouldn't be.

"He's clean now, though. It seems death doesn't take into account what you do under influence of the enzyme. He was absolutely thrilled when you asked him to be on SGA-1, but he doesn't want you beating yourself up anymore. It was an accident and you couldn't have stopped him. His mind was pretty messed up with all that enzyme in him. He did manage to escape the Hive ship, but was wounded in the escape. He made it to the planet on that list before collapsing. The village people there tried to help, but they weren't Dr. Becket or Dr. Keller. They buried him in a small grave under the name they gave him: Cantos. It meant 'lost one' in their language." She kept talking quietly. I absorbed every word, but my head was swirling with emotion. I had lost him. The hope that he had survived the explosion had been keeping me going, but this… meant I had failed him. I hadn't brought him home. But I would at least bring back his body to be buried with his family. It was the least I could do. I leaned forward and put my head in my hands. I felt a comforting hand at my shoulder and turned to see Elizabeth crying. I pulled her into my arms and turned to Melinda.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gordon. Can you tell him I'll bring his body back?" I tried to convey my sincerity.

"He heard you. He's gonna cross over now." Melinda reassured me. "Well… that was different. I've never seen a ghost jump backwards into the light."

"It's what he did right after telling me that walking through the Stargate hurt like hell." I admitted. She giggled and I protested. "Hey! It was my first time after all."

"Does it hurt?" She asked, obviously concerned. I shook my head.

"Nah, just a bit cold. But you do get used to that pretty quick. I barely even notice it anymore." I reassured her. "Even Rodney hasn't mentioned it and he's always the first to notice stuff like that."

"Col. Sumner really wants to talk, Col. Sheppard." Professor James broke in, rubbing his ears. "I think he thinks if he shouts it'll help me see him."

"Alright, go ahead." I braced myself. Col. Sumner had never approved of me while he was alive; why would it be different now?

"He says that the incident with you breaking quarantine during the, umm, nanovirus outbreak was the exact reason that he didn't want you on Atlantis. You acted unprofessional and with total disrespect to Dr. Weir. At the time, he felt you would be the end of the expedition." I grimaced at the professor's words. Yep, definitely sounded like Sumner. His next words stunned me though. "But… he's come to realize that your style of leadership and off the wall thinking may have been the only thing that's saved your, umm, butts, during all the… crap… you have to deal with in the Pegasus galaxy. And he's proud that you took up the slack when the Wraith… woman… forced you to take that mercy shot."

"You had to kill him?" Jim asked, probably wondering just exactly what kind of guy he'd let into his house. And I didn't miss the pauses in James's speech, either. I figure he wasn't comfortable with my ex-CO's language. Another sign that these people were genuine. "What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"He was captured by the beings that we told you about, the Wraith. Their caretaker was trying to break him by feeding on him until he told her where Earth was. I showed up too late to save him, but I saw his face and he saw me. He nodded, so I did what I could to spare him the agony. I shot him. I killed my commanding officer not two days after getting to Atlantis." I explained slowly, reluctantly. That decision had given me nightmares for weeks afterwards.

"I'm sorry. Col. Sumner wants you to know that you made the right call. And now you know exactly how he felt as he was dying, too. You were fed on?" James gave me a once over, trying to figure out how that worked.

"I was captured by one of our enemies and they tried to use my life to get what they wanted from Atlantis by allowing a Wraith they captured to feed on me a little bit at a time. In the end, I escaped and in return the Wraith restored my life. That was the first time we had ever seen a Wraith actually restore life before. If we had known…" I trailed off. James listened to the air beside him.

"You would have done the same thing. Col. Sumner knew he was a security risk and there would have been no way for you to convince the queen to restore his life. Not with the time and forces you had available. He says you did good and if you would, please stop blaming yourself because he has. It's over and he is proud that you took his place. You're a fine officer and it was an honor to know you, even if he didn't think so while he was alive." Eli finished. I looked at the space where Eli had listened to and saluted.

"You too, sir, you too." I hoped I wasn't talking to air. I looked over at Melinda. "He hasn't crossed over yet, has he? 'Cause that would be a bit awkward."

"No, he saw you. He returned your salute, by the way. Now he's going." She assured me. I grinned. Well, that was kinda nice. A chance to clear the air about that whole issue. And that thought got me started off on another tangent. This professor guy was a therapist right? And the Melinda chick was pretty good at the whole getting people to talk and comforting them with their loss, right? And, at least I had to assume that Kate was still around, she could get help, couldn't she? I looked at Elizabeth and decided. "So… since you people know a lot about this stuff… and we happen to have plenty of empty rooms back home… would y'all like a job?"

* * *

A/N: So there it is. Umm, the last part is up to the readers. I don't want to be too idealistic so… what do you think do they accept? Do they decline? Give me some feedback, please! J Hopefully the next won't take too long to finish up, but no promises.


	14. Brothers in Arms

A/N: So... what's it been, half a year since I last updated this? I'm am truly sorry. Like begging for forgiveness sorry. I finally decided to post what I have. This is part one of an actual requested crossover (requested by RudyPena). I really wanted to get it all ironed out and it was scheduled to be up next so I put off updating. Then I got distracted with college, my other story (Fixing Destiny), timeline issues in this chap, and the list goes on. BUT I did post this much. I introduce you to a crossover between SGA and (when you figure out the show) an old, classic version of another very sci-fi show. I'm still having issues with reconciling timelines (I may just say to heck with it and blame it on time travel or the effect of traveling at near lightspeed for an extended period of time) so I'll try to get the next part written soon. This is my peace offering. Enjoy!

Brothers in Arms

"Col. Sheppard!" Col. Carter's voice interrupted my sparring session with Teyla. I bowed to her and motioned to my ear. Our sessions had definitely stepped up a notch since my reflexes had improved. I swear I almost had her yesterday. Of course, she was still kind of recovering from being pregnant. I tapped my radio, opening a channel.

"Sheppard." I reported.

"Col., you're needed in the control room ASAP." Carter sounded slightly worried. I looked around, weighing my options.

"Is it an emergency?" I asked quickly. I didn't want to sound disrespectful, but I needed to know how urgent the situation was.

"Yes." Carter answered. I sighed.

"All right, warn the SFs. I'll be there in five seconds." I told her. After teleporting into the control room unannounced and nearly being shot by some SF that thought I was a Wraith beaming in, I made sure to tell people when I was going to pop in. I waited a few seconds, waved goodbye to Teyla, and teleported. When the light cleared, I nodded to Col. Carter. "What's up?"

"We just received a distress signal from the Deadalus. They're having hyperdrive trouble. Right now they're still in between galaxies. I need to know, can you take McKay out there so he can help them fix it?" She smiled wryly. "Never thought I'd be asking that when I took this job, but I'm needed here and McKay knows the Deadalus as well as I do."

"I'm not sure if I don't know exactly where they are. I've never had to hit a moving target before. Even if it's not moving now. But, I may have an idea." I opened a radio channel to McKay. "Hey, McKay, is the Doctor with you?"

"Yes, of course, where else do you think he is? Swimming?" McKay replied sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"Could have left it at yes there, Rodney. I'll be there in a second." I sighed. Rodney was in a snippy mood this morning. I popped into the lab and turned to the Doctor. "Doctor, can you give me a lift? McKay and I need to get out to the Deadalus, one of our battleships, and I'm not sure where they are right now. I can teleport multiple people with me now, but I don't want to take a chance and miss the ship. I'd hate to end up in the middle of the galaxy with only Rodney for company. Can your ship home in on the distress signal and take us there? Without trying to skip through universes or times?"

"I should be able to." He grinned. "We're going on a field trip? Brilliant!"

"Sheppard, who says I have to go? I have important work here." McKay whined. I grabbed his shoulder.

"Carter does. Now go get your stuff. They're having hyperdrive trouble." I spun him around and pushed him towards the lab table where his PDA sat. He did his usual grumbling and muttering about a genius not getting any breaks, but gathered his stuff. While he was doing that I contacted Elizabeth and told her about our trip. When McKay was ready I teleported us to the TARDIS. As the Doctor opened the doors I sent a mental greeting to her. You should never be rude to telepathic, sentient ships, especially when they're as old as the TARDIS is. When we were all situated, he started up the engines. The variety of controls was amazing. I'm pretty sure the bicycle bell didn't actually do anything, and the fact he had to use a hammer to prevent the TARDIS from hitting the 1950's was not reassuring. How do you hit a decade anyway? When the odd grinding noise stopped and the ship settled, I opened the door. I was greeted with the bridge of the Deadalus and a freaked out Caldwell. "Um… hi. Question: this is the Deadalus, right? And what's the year?"

"Sheppard?" Caldwell stared at the blue box that had seemingly appeared from nowhere in the middle of his bridge. He told me the date and I relaxed. "And of course this is the Deadalus, where else would I be?"

"Hey Doctor! It worked!" I called to the others. The Doctor looked a little put out.

"Of course it worked." He sulked.

"Well, you did crash into another universe, so you can't exactly blame me for doubting you." I pointed out. He shrugged. I turned back to Caldwell who had been watching this exchange with suspicious eyes. "Sir, you have hyperdrive trouble?"

"Yes, I do. I suppose that's the alien that has the IOA all in a flurry?" He motioned towards the Doctor. "Is that a ship?"

"Yes to both counts. This is the Doctor. Doctor, this is Col. Caldwell, commander of the Earth ship Deadalus." I introduced them. "And the Doctor's ship is a bit advanced. It's bigger on the inside. Something to do with different dimensions. Where do you need Rodney?"

"Engine room would be best." I nodded respectfully. Caldwell had never really liked the fact that I'd become the military commander of Atlantis over him, and I was sure that my new "powers" weren't helping his perception of me. I looked at the TARDIS and mentally asked her permission._ May I send you to the F-302 bay? It's gonna be a little crowded in here if you stay where you are._

_You may._ The TARDIS allowed. I put my hand against the blue panels and teleported her away. At the Doctor's frown I explained. "Just put her in the fighter bay so she'd be out of the way. I even asked permission."

"Oh." He replied, non-committal. I followed Rodney away from the busy bridge and down the long, bland hallways of the ship. Atlantis definitely had this place beat in aesthetics. "What type of technology does this ship use?"

"Well, it's a blending of human engineering, some hybrid Goa'uld technology, and we even installed many Azgard upgrades including beaming technology, energy weapons, and increased shielding. We managed to duplicate the Odyssey's computer core that we got when the Azgard decided to give us all their recent technology and history before they destroyed their home planet and the last of their race." McKay informed the Doctor.

"Why'd they kill themselves?" The Doctor looked horrified.

"They were dying. They used cloning for too long instead of reproduction and paid the price. They developed a serious genetic disease and their race was at an end. Rather than let the Ori, who are Ascended on a power trip, get their technology, they destroyed themselves and their planet. To make sure that their technology wouldn't die out they gave it all to us, their allies." McKay explained. The Doctor's eyes widened in understanding and he looked away, probably reliving memories of his own planet's destruction. I cleared my throat to break the silence.

"So… how long's this gonna take, Rodney? Can you give me an estimate?" I asked as we turned the corner. McKay stared at me and rolled his eyes.

"Col., you do realize that I haven't even seen the hyperdrive yet? How could I possibly know how long it's going to take to fix it?" McKay responded exasperatedly. I shrugged.

"You're always saying you're a genius; just thought I'd see if you could guess at how screwed the Deadalus is." I shot back.

"I don't guess, Sheppard." He replied stiffly. The Doctor was watching us in fascination.

"You two do this a lot, don't you?" He finally decided. I smirked.

"Someone's gotta keep Rodney in line and I'm the only one who can manage it without stunning him. Don't even ask about the time Ronon watched him. I thought we'd never wake him up again." I opened the door to the engine room and ushered them both in. We were met with a very nervous Novak who looked even more lost than usual without Hermiod to talk to.

"Oh! How'd you get on here, Dr. McKay, Col. Sheppard? I didn't hear of any ships in the vicinity." She managed to stammer out. I took up a stance as McKay zeroed in on the malfunction. The Doctor took the chance to inspect the consoles.

"We found an alternate means of transportation. It's a lot faster." I told her. She wrung her hands and went to bug McKay. After a minute of her "supervision" he sent her away, nearly bringing tears. I guess I had affected him some; before he met me it would have been half a minute with hysterics. I shook my head and gave him five minutes, then walked on over. "Ok, you've seen it, now what?"

"You asked about how screwed the Deadalus was? Well, let me tell you, we are screwed. I don't know what idiot was keeping up with maintenance of these crystals, but there was an overload and several of them busted. And more importantly, the master crystal is cracked. But, obviously the same idiot kept up with inventory, because we don't have spares with us for the master crystal, Sheppard! Those have to be made specifically on Earth. They have to be ordered beforehand. If that master blows it can cause a massive overload and rip this ship apart. I can try to reroute some of the systems, but we can't put too much strain on it. If I didn't know for sure that there aren't going to be any masters sitting around collecting dust on Earth or Atlantis, I'd tell you to go get one, but there's no use. Whoever did the inventory didn't seem to file the form that says, 'Hey we need a master crystal so if the only one we have cracks we won't die a horrible death' and we don't have time to wait for one to be made. We are actually just on the outskirts of the Pegasus and I'm pretty sure that we don't want any Wraith stumbling on to us." McKay's voice rose in pitch. I turned to the Doctor.

"Can we travel in time and get one?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I'm already a part of events here; if I leave, I'll get stuck there. No jumping around with time travel. You're liable to cause a paradox and we don't want to deal with the Reapers." He explained. I raised my eyebrows at that last word. "They're monsters that sterilize wounds to the time vortex by destroying all living life in that universe."

"Ok, so no time travel then. Can you create the workaround to get us to Atlantis until I can pop back to Earth for the next master?" I asked carefully. McKay bit his lip. "Well?"

"I'm thinking!" He scolded me and then typed something on his data pad. "I think I can get it working again, but it'll be risky. We start going too fast, and I'm not sure we'll be able to hold together."

"Get started." I ordered. He nodded and turned to work. I looked at the Doctor. "Come on, we better let him work and I need to go tell Caldwell what the situation is."

"Right." He agreed. It was another long trip back to the bridge, but I didn't want to startle Caldwell anymore than I already had. My popping in and out would cause a bit of panic. When we got there, I outlined our plan. He was reluctant, but realized the risks. Finally McKay told us he was ready to give it a try. The ship surged as it entered hyperspace. The Doctor watched in fascination, but quickly realized that the strange lights and colors merely repeated. "You know, I never actually get to see what's happening when I travel. Though if it's anything like this, I'm not sure I want to."

"Yeah. Gets old after a while, doesn't it?" I joked. A sudden surge nearly knocked us off our feet. McKay radioed us as soon as he could.

"Crap! Sheppard, we're in a hyperspace riptide current. Kind of like undertow at the beach. We are going WAY too fast." He was freaking out. I glanced over at Caldwell in concern.

"Is it straining the crystal?" I immediately thought of the most serious problem.

"Actually, it's not that. We aren't actually providing more energy than the crystal can handle, we're just going faster. Our shields can't hold up to these speeds. We're gonna get torn apart in the middle of hyperspace." He sounded terrified. I sent out a mental call to Mitchell, telling him to use me as a beacon to home in on.

_We're in trouble and I could use the help, Cam._ I heard a faint confirmation, and then turned to the Doctor and Caldwell. "I'm gonna boost the shields. I called Mitchell; he's on his way. Oh, and I need every scrap of concentration, so other than him, no one touch me."

"Understood." Caldwell's eyes widened slightly as I called Excalibur from its pen form. I hefted the sword up and knelt. I placed the tip against the floor, careful not to scratch Caldwell's precious ship, and bowed my head. Summoning extra energy from Excalibur, I poured it into a shield around the Deadalus. Immediately the strain the ship was under became evident. Not only was the shield bigger than I'd ever done before, it was draining my reserves quickly, forcing me to rely on Excalibur more and more. I lost track of time as I struggled with the forces of hyperspace trying to rip the ship apart. At one point I felt a burst of heat and a surge of energy as Mitchell knelt beside me and put his hand on my shoulder, lending me power for the shield. I grew weaker, but suddenly, we stopped. I nearly toppled backwards as the ship shuddered to a halt. I would have too if strong arms hadn't braced me. I looked up at the faces of Teal'c, Daniel, and Vala.

"Hey, you brought company." I coughed weakly. Mitchell nodded and I could see his exhaustion. His hair, which always seemed to burst into flames when he actively called on his power, was barely flickering. One of the medics who were standing by brought me a glass of water.

"Yep." Mitchell patted my shoulder lightly, sounding about as thirsty as I was. When he took a sip, though, the water hissed and began to boil. He sighed and glanced up at his hair, putting it out. Once he was certain he wasn't emitting heat any longer he looked at the medic in apology. The man hid a smile and handed him some ice chips to cool his water down. I sipped as I watched him in amusement.

"I hope you don't mind me calling the medics. When you began sweating and Mitchell's hair nearly went out, I figured whatever you were doing was taking a lot out of you." Caldwell apologized. I waved off the concerned medics.

"Thanks for the water, but really, I'm fine. Just a little tired." I sat there for now, gathering my strength. My hair stood on end as Excalibur refilled my energy reserves slowly but surely. I even sent a small thread of it over to Mitchell, letting him regain a bit of strength. _For helping me._

_You're welcome and thanks. Though I couldn't just let you go and nearly kill yourself. Why didn't you call Sol, too?_ He asked.

_He's at some Council meeting. Who knew our sun was such an important member of the Staranian Council?_ I told him. When I felt strong enough, I stood up, albeit slowly. "Where'd we end up?"

"McKay's working on it. Evidently we overshot Pegasus in that hyperspace "riptide." I wasn't even aware there were currents in hyperspace." Caldwell admitted. I nodded in understanding.

"That's because, unlike everyone seems to think, we did not invent hyperspace travel and we do not know everything about it. But, seeing as we just got stuck in an undercurrent, it's safe to assume that it's possible. Just not very likely." McKay ranted as he walked in. "I suppose you think you deserve our heartfelt thanks for shielding us, but I'll have you know, I am the one who managed to get us out of the current."

"A chance you wouldn't have had if Mitchell and I hadn't kept this ship from tearing apart in the middle of a hyperspace window. We'd be a nice little debris field, wouldn't we?" I pointed out smugly. McKay grimaced at that mental image. "But thank you for stopping us McKay."

"You're welcome. And, I suppose, thank you for making sure we weren't a huge pile of litter in hyperspace." He said gruffly. I grinned. Who says McKay isn't smart? At least he'd learned to share the credit a bit. Sometimes. "As for where we are, I have no clue. None of the stars look familiar, and our sensors didn't pick up any landmarks to go by. I'd say we're in at least another galaxy."

"How do we get home?" Daniel asked. "Can you teleport us all back?"

"Well, a) Mitchell and I are pretty tapped out at the moment, b) even if we were at full strength, the Deadalus is a really big ship, so we probably couldn't take it along and we can't leave it behind for enemies to find, and most importantly, c) we don't know where we are in relation to where we want to go, so we can't get an accurate fix of where to teleport. It's kind of like dialing a Stargate without knowing the point of origin." I replied reluctantly.

"You're better at lists than I am." The Doctor mused. We looked at him like he was crazy, which, knowing the way he acted a majority of the time, was completely possible. "Don't look at me; I'm not even sure if this universe has the same stars as mine does. I only found the Deadalus via the distress signal. It would take me days to make an accurate guess as to where we could be."

"Sir?" One of the technicians called out. Caldwell turned to her. "We're picking up some anomalous chatter over the communication ray and there are several ships coming into range now."

"How many?" Caldwell looked at her station. The technician shook her head.

"It's hard to tell. There are at least two major ships, a number of smaller cargo or transport sized ships, and bunch of fighters. The two major ships and the two forms of fighters seem to be fighting, sir." The technician answered.

"Can we get a visual?" Caldwell ordered. One of the technicians called one up. We studied the ships. One was almost bigger than the Deadalus and seemed to be surrounded by cargo ships as the technician said. "Let's hear that radio chatter."

"Yes, sir." The technician complied. We were immediately assaulted by what sounded like fighter pilots giving various orders and information.

"Starbuck, you've got one on your tail! Watch it." A male warned an unseen pilot.

"I've got him, Apollo." A second male answered tersely then whooped. "Eat my dust, Cylon!"

"Keep your mind in the fight, Starbuck." The first voice ordered dryly. I chuckled. McKay rolled his eyes.

"Sound familiar, Sheppard?" He asked. I glanced over at him innocently. He snorted. "Yep, definitely sounds like you."

"They sound like humans. Can we tell which fighter is which?" Caldwell questioned. Another technician studied the readings. After a minute, two ships were selected. One was red while the other, blue.

"Sir, the red one's 'Apollo,' while the blue one is the one called 'Starbuck.'" The technician informed us. Caldwell nodded. We listened and watched as the ships, which looked a lot like the Star Wars Y-Fighters, battled silver gliders that were a shiny match for our F-302's or Goa'uld Death Gliders. Suddenly 'Cylon' gliders zeroed in on Starbuck's fighter. The pilot was skilled, I'll give him that, but he was outgunned. His ship caught fire.

"Frack! Apollo, I'm hit!" The young voice came back over the connection. Caldwell frowned.

"They sound like they're in trouble. What do the other gliders sound like?" He asked. After listening to a few seconds of the robotic voices and machine-like discussions, he made a decision. "I don't like it when somebody kills humans. Get a lock on Starbuck and pull him out of there. I want to know what's going on. Beam him straight to the bridge. I figure Sheppard and Mitchell can take care of him, right?"

"Yes, sir." We nodded. I was almost halfway recharged already. I gripped Excalibur tightly and turned it back into a pen. The Azgard beam activated just in time, whisking the pilot away seconds before his fighter exploded. It deposited a gasping and bewildered young human in the middle of the bridge. His eyes widened.

"What?!" He backed up a few steps and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Ok, this is new."

"Well, we know he's human at least." I held my hands up in a placating gesture as I walked over, sticking Excalibur into my pocket. "Easy, we're peaceful. We just stumbled onto your little firefight over there and wanted to find out what was going on. We used a teleportation beam to grab you out of your ship before it exploded. Can you tell us what's happening?"

"Thanks, I guess. I'm Lieutenant Starbuck, by the way. As for what's happening, the Cylons are attacking the fleet. I'm a pilot aboard the Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons, machine intelligences, are trying to kill all humans, including the refugees from Caprica and the other colonies that we're protecting. We're fleeing from the colonies after the Cylons betrayed a ceasefire at a peace conference and destroyed the other eleven battlestars and all the colonies. We managed to evade the slaughter and we're trying to escort the remnants of the colonies to safety. Now who are you?" He winced and clutched his arm. I noticed the electrical burn. Luckily burns were simple enough that I could heal him and wouldn't have to prick my finger. I'd hate to see his reaction to his rescuers putting blood on his wounds. He'd probably think we were cannibals or something.

"Here, let me help you." I put my hand over his arm and concentrated. When I was done he looked at me in amazement. I glanced over at Caldwell and got a grudging nod. I began to explain. "My name's Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and you're onboard the Earth ship, Deadalus. We were having a spot of hyperdrive trouble and ended up in this galaxy. Saw your little battle, and figured we didn't want to do anything without finding who was attacking whom. We overheard your chatter versus the other fighters' chatter and decided you sounded more human. And you know the rest."

"Earth? Seriously? Wait 'til Apollo hears this! We've been looking for Earth for over a year. It's supposed to be where the thirteenth colony." He exclaimed. "Can all of you heal like that?"

"Nah, just me and Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell over there." I motioned over to Cam. "We're a bit special. Col. Caldwell, I'm inclined to believe him. Can we give the Galactica a hand?"

"I agree. Engage sublight and set course to intercept the Cylon ship. As soon as we're in range, fire the forward energy weapons." Caldwell sat back and we moved to the side of the bridge as the Deadalus closed in on the distant battle. Starbuck watched in fascination. When the bright blue energy weapon sliced towards the Cylon ship, he gaped in open awe. The beam slammed into their shields and, once the other forward beam joined it, it went straight through. The ship was maimed.

"The core is at the center of the basestar. It should be fatal if you can hit it." Starbuck advised.

"Noted." Caldwell motioned for the adjustment to be made. The second strike struck the 'basestar' dead center and went straight through. The ship exploded. "I assume the gliders are smaller fighters?"

"Yes, sir." He answered automatically. They obviously had a military as well.

"Very well. Target the gliders with the forward rail guns. Be careful not to strike the other fighters or the Galactica and its fleet. Don't want any human casualties." He ordered. The technicians around us nodded. Starbuck turned to me.

"Do you have a fighter I could use? I ought to help my squadron clean this up. Cylons go kamikaze if you let them. They'll start trying to crash into the bridge or the fighter bays to prevent the fighters from landing." Starbuck looked antsy, a true sign of a pilot. We didn't like being out of the cockpit.

"Actually, we do, but I wouldn't suggest it. Our fighters appear very similar in shape to the gliders. It must be a freak in design, but ours are gliders as well, just not as shiny. We can't risk being shot down as Cylons. That wouldn't go over well with our bosses." McKay answered his question. Starbuck nodded reluctantly.

"Can you zoom in on some of the ships? I've got an idea." I looked at screen. The technician did so. I gripped Mitchell's shoulder. "Shields as weapons, remember?"

"Got it." He responded and grabbed my shoulder in return. When we were first learning how to shield, Sol had told us the various ways to shield. The basic way and reason to shield was to protect, but if you energized one side of the shield and placed it where ships could run into it, they would be destroyed. We blended our powers and focused together. As we watched the first glider chasing a fighter, we concentrated harder. It was a little more difficult than a normal shield, but nowhere near as hard as the shield that had been required to protect the Deadalus in hyperspace. We waited for the fighter to travel by and then raised a small shield in front of the Cylon glider. It rammed right into it, exploding on contact. The technician was smart enough not to ask any questions and merely selected a new target. That time we got two with one hit. Eventually, after we had downed almost fifteen gliders, we ran out of enemies to destroy.

"Is that it? We're done?" I asked. Starbuck analyzed the screen.

"Yes! Of course, Adama will probably want to talk to you before recalling the fighters. Can you establish a connection?" Starbuck grinned, obviously excited that the Cylon threat was eliminated.

"We should be able to. The signals and frequencies your ships are using are adaptable to be used with our equipment." McKay fiddled with a console. Col. Caldwell straightened. McKay nodded to him.

"This is Colonel Steven Caldwell of the Deadalus. Can I speak to Commander Adama?" Caldwell formally greeted the ship. A screen came up as the connection was established. An elderly man smiled through the screen.

"I am Commander Adama. We thank you for your assistance in defeating Cylons. You saved many people's lives today. May I ask how you know of me?" He was obviously glad that we showed up, but shadow of sadness hovered in his eyes.

"Actually, we learned about you from one of the pilots we saved. We possess beaming technology that can teleport people and we managed to rescue one of your pilots before his ship was destroyed. I believe he calls himself Starbuck." Caldwell informed him. Starbuck stepped into the camera's view. He mock saluted and grinned. The man's face immediately softened.

"Starbuck! Apollo said…" Adama trailed off, and then smiled. "I am doubly in debt to you, Col. Caldwell. Starbuck is a close friend of my son and his loss was felt deeply. To hear that he is not dead as we thought is wonderful."

"Sir, that's not all. This ship, it's from Earth!" Starbuck burst out, obviously impatient. Stunned silence followed his announcement.

"After all this time searching for Earth, we are saved by one of their ships? This is a good day after all." Adama was awed. "Is it possible for us to talk privately?"

"I can send over a few men, along with your wayward pilot if you will allow it and if you will recall your fighters. We would hate for there to be any misunderstandings." Caldwell offered. Adama nodded.

"Of course." He replied then addressed someone off screen. "Recall all squadrons. And tell Apollo that Starbuck is alive."

"Tell him you can't get rid of me that easily." Starbuck joked.

"I don't doubt it, Starbuck. Will your men need an escort to our fighter bays?" Adama asked. I looked at Caldwell. He raised an eyebrow slightly. I nodded and Mitchell copied my movement.

"I don't think that'll be necessary. If you will, please don't be startled, but the two I am sending, Lieutenant Colonels Sheppard and Mitchell, have their own methods of transport. They can bring Starbuck back with them." Caldwell told him. I stepped up and offered Starbuck my arm. He took it warily.

"Why do I have to touch you? I wasn't anywhere near you when you teleported me out of my ship." He looked confused.

"The first time you teleported, we used technology to do so. This time, I'm teleporting you myself. I'll tell you about it some time, but Mitchell and I have this ability among others. We were creating the shields that destroyed the gliders." I explained. "Like I said before, we're a bit special. Ready?"

"Guess so." He didn't look as confident as he had before. I popped out, landing in the background of the Galactica's bridge. I was met with several gasps. I looked around and smirked.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, but you can call me John or Col. Sheppard. Decent ship you've got here." I greeted them and stepped back a few feet, allowing Mitchell to pop in where I had been standing. A sudden movement at one of the doors almost made me jump. A black-haired man came running up the steps grabbed Starbuck. It took me a second to recognize that the two we in a bear hug. They slapped each other on the back a few times and broke apart. "I take it you're Apollo?"

"I am." He tousled Starbuck's hair. "Starbuck's like a brother to me and I thought he died out there. Thank you for saving him."

"Anytime. Shall we talk?" I turned to Adama. He nodded.

"Right this way." He motioned to one side room and led us to a type of conference room. Our ensuing conversation finally resulted in Mitchell having to go get Daniel from the Deadalus to compare histories. What he found was shocking to say the least.

"What are you so excited about, Jackson?" Mitchell drawled out, staring at the grinning archeologist. The kid just smiled broadly and gave us the shortest explanation ever.

"We're related." He announced as everyone fell silent. I raised my eyebrows in shock. Oh.

***

End Part One

A/N: Now just to fix the timeline errors. *sigh* Perhaps after my final Tuesday I'll be able to think on it better. I tried to stay true to character with Apollo and Starbuck of BSG (the original version, not the new one). I really don't enjoy the severe backstabbing and double-crossing and oh, hey, never mind, she's been a Cylon the entire time stuff. Just gets a little too complex to actually enjoy... or follow. I quit Lost for the same reason after season one. And Starbuck as a girl?! What the frack is up with that?! No. Just no. If you haven't seen the old version, but know the new version... don't worry. Storyline is basically the same with less likelihood of being lost in the twists and turns and treachery. Pretty straightforward run for your lives scenario. Except the Deadalus kicks Cylon butt and saves the day. Now... how to get home? Don't worry it shouldn't be another six months before I update again... dear Lord I hope not... I may get lynched. So now... review. Maybe some other reviewer could offer up a tasty crossover or idea for me to work with. I'm open to most shows (as long as I have an inkling as to how to introduce them and/or reconcile timelines and settings). If not... I may take a short hiatus after part two to writ a mega crossover with my own fics, King of the Dragons, The Sun Lord, and the as of yet WIP The Dolphin Charm. Kind of excited... kind of worried on how the reception will be. Not many people have actually read KOD or The Sun Lord... not nearly as many as have read this one at least (I am spoiled by the sheer quantity of SGA readers). So clue me in to what you're all thinking please! :D


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